MoD: Portsmouth Labour MPs say Royal Navy, Army and RAF veteran homelessness will end despite gloomy budget

Stephen Morgan and Amanda Martin have both stood behind prime minister Sir Keir Starmer’s promise to give all armed forces veterans a “guaranteed roof over their head”. At the recent Labour party conference, he said “homes will be there for heroes” and vowed to “house all veterans in housing need” across England.

The policy, announced in late September, comes as the financial budget looms large. Labour’s first budget in 15 years will be announced on October 30, but it is not expected to be an entirely positive affair. Mr Starmer previously braced the public during a speech in August, painting a gloomy picture of the country’s financial future and stating that some of the measures outlined by chancellor Rachel Reeves will be “painful”.

He added that more difficult decisions will have to be made, following on from scrapping winter fuel payments for around 10 million pensioners. Mr Morgan, MP for Portsmouth South, is confident that homeless veterans will be fully supported. “ At the ceremony marking the rededication of Portsmouth Naval Memorial on its 100th anniversary last Friday (October 4), he told The News: “I’m really proud that Keir announced this policy. It’s a step in the right direction to make sure that veterans that bravely served our country get the support they need. It’s shameful in today’s society that so many veterans sleep rough.

“Our commitment will hopefully end homelessness once and for all. The government has taken no time to address these issues. I’ve been working closely with the MoD as quickly as possible in the heartland home of the budget.” When asked if this policy is possible amid hinted financial cuts, he added: “The £20bn blackhole we’ve inherited from the previous 14 years under the Tories is a dire situation. We’re clear in what we want to achieve and we want to rebuild the foundations of our country. Our missions will drive that change. Rachel Reeves will be setting out more details in due course.”

Ms Martin, MP for Portsmouth North, said tackling veterans homelessness on a large scale has to be a priority. She said: “They travel all over the world, in different bases and can’t put down roots. Sometimes, getting a family home when they leave the service is very difficult. It’s upon us as a government to say thank you and to make sure that they are a priority for housing. When asked how veterans will be supported, she added: “What we have to do is look at each of the areas around the country where it’s viable - where there can be housing - and we need to make sure that when we do put those practical measures in place, they are embedded in our community and they have links to it.”

Ms Martin said the government would not put forward any pledge that it could not financially deliver. There were 2,270 households in England owed a homelessness duty with a member that previously served in the Armed Forces in the year to March, according to Government figures. This was up by a quarter, from 1,820 households in the year to March 2019. Mr Starmer said issues around current requirements to have a local connection in order to get housing support in many areas will be addressed. The Labour Party themselves added that current rules mean that five years after leaving the forces veterans must prove a local connection to some areas to get housing support “unfairly punish” this group. They said 80 per cent of homeless veterans referred for housing support left the forces more than five years ago.

National charity Shelter said the change “won’t address the fact that there’s just fundamentally not enough social housing available”. Help For Heroes chief executive James Needham said: “While this is a positive step, we must all be mindful that homelessness is rarely an issue that occurs in isolation, and we look forward to continuing to work with the UK Government to understand, and implement, the changes required to help all veterans and their families live well after service.”