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Lord Dannatt (CB)

Speaking in the House of Lords on 8 September 2026

Debate

Armed Forces Bill

Contribution

My Lords, I intend to speak to further amendments in this general area later today, and I do not wish to repeat the sensible arguments that noble Lords and noble and gallant Lords have already made as far as this matter is concerned. However, it seems to me that, with this fundamental series of changes, we are taking a pretty large sledgehammer to crack a nut. That nut is the Sullivan report of 2019, which itself has been largely attended to and many of the changes already made—so the sledgehammer is being applied to the wrong nut. My greatest concern is that if these measures were to be implemented, the local character of our reserve and cadet forces would be changed beyond recognition, and the volunteering ethos on which they currently depend would itself go. Many noble Lords will know that since Covid many of our volunteering organisations have struggled to recruit further volunteers. I believe we would be putting a stake through the heart of our reserve forces and cadets associations, and their local character and volunteering ethos, if these measures were to go through.
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