Thousands of serving soldiers claiming benefits, statistics reveal
28 December 2024 6:01am GMT
Thousands of military personnel are having to claim benefits because of their low pay, damning new statistics reveal.
Official figures show that there are 4,500 people who are currently serving in the Armed Forces and are also on Universal Credit.
Meanwhile the number of veterans who are claiming the handout soared to 65,000 in the month before the election was held.
Labour said the statistics showed previous Tory governments had “eroded this nation’s moral contract with defence personnel and veterans”.
It comes after the Government announced that it will change eligibility rules so that all veterans can get access to social housing.
Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, also handed soldiers their biggest pay rise in 22 years just after the election, increasing salaries by 6 per cent.
A Labour spokesman said: “Our brave veterans should be able to celebrate this festive period with loved ones, not struggling to make ends meet.
“This Labour Government is hugely proud of our Armed Forces personnel, veterans, and their families.
“We will ensure that veterans have the security they deserve, with a roof over their head.”
The Ministry of Defence first started collecting data just over two years ago on serving personnel and veterans who are claiming benefits.
The latest statistics show that, as of June, there were 4,500 serving personnel and 65,000 veterans who are on Universal Credit.
That compares with 3,000 serving personnel and 39,000 veterans who were registered as claiming the benefit in July 2022.