Just 7% of Plymouth’s veterans have received promised ID card

Just 7% of veterans in the region have received Government ID cards to help them access the services they need, as Labour’s Shadow Veterans Minister vowed to understand local concerns ahead of her visit to the city.

In Plymouth, just 1,367 veterans ID cards have been rolled out to 18,279 total veterans. The Government promised to provide every veteran in the UK with a card in 2019, designed to provide speedy access to health, housing and charity services.

But figures from the ONS confirm there are more than 1.8 million veterans in England and Wales, and just 69,989 ID cards have been given out since 2018, meaning only 3.9% veterans have been given a card in five years.

Rachel Hopkins, Labour’s Shadow Veterans Minister, visited Plymouth recently, alongside Plymouth MP Luke Pollard and Labour’s Plymouth Moor View candidate Fred Thomas to hear from former personnel as part of Labour’s Veterans’ Voice campaign.

In March, Veterans’ Minister Johnny Mercer promised to rollout all remaining ID cards by the end of 2023.

To keep his promise, Mr Mercer still needs to deliver over 1.7 million ID cards, having handed out only a fraction of that so far.

Luke Pollard, Member of Parliament for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, said:

“It is crystal clear that this Government is letting down veterans in Plymouth. Ministers make sweeping promises about support they will deliver but it’s all talk. Our veterans don’t need empty promises, they need action. A Labour government will step up and support Veterans where this Government has failed.”

Rachel Hopkins MP, Shadow Veterans Minister, said:

“The Conservatives like to talk up their support for our forces, but it’s clear that they are failing our veterans. The veterans ID card is supposed to help our society keep its promise to those who serve by ensuring quick access to services like healthcare. But Conservative ministers have delivered just a fraction of the cards needed.

“That’s why Labour has launched its Veterans’ Voice campaign to hear directly from former personnel and their families, and put their lived experiences at the heart of our future policy offer.”

Fred Thomas, Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Plymouth Moor View, said:

“Veterans served our country proudly, like so many residents with careers in the NHS, education, and other vital services. 

“But here in Plymouth, and across the country, we have been badly failed by this Tory government who have failed to deliver for veterans and their families. 

“No one is safe financially now. Our veteran community desperately needs Ministers to deliver on their promises.”