Rachel Gilmour

Rachel Gilmour

Liberal Democrat — Tiverton and Minehead

Speaking in the House of Commons on 2 June 2026

Debate

Armed Forces Bill

Contribution

The Bill makes great strides in Ministry of Defence housing standards, and the enshrinement of the covenant is to be lauded. However, I cannot help but feel that there is a sense of strategic lethargy, with a lack of serious worked-through policies to tackle the crisis in recruitment and retention. For example, from what I can see, there is no mention of incentives or bonuses. Is that an oversight or a deliberate decision to put those issues on the back burner? To put it another way, are the Government now simply content to sit on their hands while the crisis deepens?

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