Don’t short change our troops
I visited Afghanistan in 2002, shortly after the Taliban had been driven out of the capital, Kabul. Life was, and still is, incredibly hard and dangerous for both Afghan civilians and British troops.
But what reward do our troops get from this Labour Government? Shockingly poor pay that leaves them on the poverty line.
That’s why I’m backing a new Liberal Democrat policy to give the worst paid servicemen and women, who earn less than trainee police officers and firefighters, pay rises worth almost £6,000 a year.
If you’re on the frontline in abroad, you shouldn’t be on the breadline in Britain.
I’m proud that local World War Two veteran, Arthur Arnold, is backing the campaign too. He told me, “I fully support this campaign for better pay for our troops. In my day we earned 7 and 9 pence a day, which is about 37 pence, but things don’t seemed to have got much better. We’ve got footballers earning £70,000 per week, while our troops in Afghanistan who are risking their lives, are paid so little.”
If you would like to join the campaign, click HERE for more information.