Mr Calvin Bailey

Mr Calvin Bailey

Labour — Leyton and Wanstead

Speaking in the House of Commons on 8 April 2025

Debate

Armed Forces Covenant

Contribution

I thank my hon. Friend for raising such an important point. She does a great job in representing the home of the British Army and raises the issues consistently, both with the all-party parliamentary group on the armed forces community and on the Defence Committee—indeed, she did so throughout the inquiry. My hon. Friend’s point is powerfully made because it supports what the forces’ families federations brought forward in their evidence. They pointed out that: “There is no other immigration route in which someone legally in the UK isn’t allowed to work or claim benefits whilst their application is being decided.” That is a massive travesty and a failure, and an example of the armed forces facing a unique disadvantage. It is exactly the sort of anomaly that an updated covenant should attempt to address.

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