Lib Dem Action plan for improving UK armed forces' welfare

11.55.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 10th Dec 2007

government has failed to maintain the military "covenant" - Cable

Vince Cable MP, Acting Lib Dem leader, has set out an action plan for improving UK armed forces' welfare. He said Labour and Conservative governments had failed to maintain the military "covenant" in which governments ensure the welfare of armed forces, especially in areas such as medical care and housing. The Lib Dems are calling a debate in the Commons on Wednesday in which they will seek a more formal and accountable form of the covenant, with annual reviews in Parliament.

Mr Cable said: "The members of our armed forces give their utmost to their country and are prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice. There is no excuse for being cheap when dealing with their welfare. Whenever we have to make a decision to go to war one of the key conditions would have to be that the troops are properly supported. The overall defence budget doesn't need to be increased. We need to change the priorities. At the moment, a lot of money's still being spent keeping the British forces in Iraq, and we would argue for a much faster withdrawal."

cold war relic and is no longer really relevant

He added: "But there are tough choices have to be made, and we've argued, for example, that the Eurofighter contract, an enormous military contract, which dates back to the cold war and is no longer really relevant, should now be cancelled in its last stage. "It would save a lot of money that could then be ploughed back into proper housing for the troops."