A Better Deal for our Troops

Labour has taken us into five wars. 

Afghanistan is going into its ninthyear – almost as long as the two world wars combined. Yet under Labour, 13,000 of the lowest ranking personnel earn less than £17,000. More than 51,000 earn less than the salaries of trainee police and firefighters. General Sir Richard Dannatt, the former Chief of the Army, has said that Britain has “seriously stretched our soldiers to the very limit”.

Former Chief of Defence Staff General Lord Charles Guthrie has said those on the front line feel betrayed by ministers and mandarins in Whitehall. In July Nick Clegg made clear that troops needed more pay and resources and, for the first time, openly questioned what our objectives were in Afghanistan.  New Lib Dem policy will give the 13,000 lowest paid a £6,000-a year pay rise, while the salaries of fully-trained privates and lance corporals will rise to £25,000. We will pay for this by cutting desk jobs in the MoD where currently there is one civil servant for every two service personnel.