Autumn Statement: £10m boost for Royal Navy, British Army and RAF veterans as chancellor addresses spending

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced the measure in the House of Commons today. He said the UK will maintain its Nato obligation of spending two per cent of GDP – a measure of the size of the economy – on defence.

"I will extend national insurance relief for employers of eligible veterans for a further year and provide £10 million to support the Veterans’ Places, Pathways and People programme,” Mr Hunt said. His Majesty’s Treasury reported on X, formally known as Twitter: “Members of the armed forces put their lives on the line to safeguard British freedoms every day.

NOW READ: Veteran ID cards rolled out in Gosport

"This is why we're confirming an additional £10m to support veterans - helping to fund vital mental health services for veterans in their communities across the United Kingdom.” In September, the government kick-started its roll out of veteran ID cards in order to make it easier for former service personnel to access any financial or medical support they may need.

Minister of veterans affairs, Johnny Mercer, said 2.2m cards will be distributed nationally and said the government scheme Op Courage will continue to support veterans. Mr Hunt said this year’s autumn statement was centred around cutting taxes and boosting growth, adding that his plan would “raise business investment, get more people into work, reduce inflation” and increase the size of the economy.

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has upgraded its growth forecast for gross domestic product this year, but downgraded the figure for subsequent years. Mr Hunt said universal credit would increase by 6.7 per cent, in line with September’s inflation figure.