Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has hosted veterans and charities at Downing Street with Defence Secretary John Healey in the lead-up to Remembrance Day.
The informal reception on Friday was held after Sir Keir pledged £3.5 million in support for veterans facing homelessness.
Peter Kent, 99, the oldest veteran at the event, said he was pleased by the increase in funding and described Sir Keir as a “good guy”.
Mr Kent is a D-Day veteran who served in the Royal Navy on board HMS Adventurer and HMS Hartland Point.
We’re making sure those who serve and have served our country have the support they need.
That’s why we’re committing £3.5 million for veterans’ homelessness support programmes.
— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) November 8, 2024
The funding will go towards a dedicated wraparound support service for veterans at risk of or already experiencing homelessness and ensures they have access to specialist support for employment and independent living.
The reception took place in the Terracotta Room and Pillared Room at Downing Street.
Guests included representatives from the Chelsea Pensioners, retired British soldiers living at the Royal Hospital Chelsea in London, and Scotty’s Little Soldiers, a charity for bereaved military children.
Sir Keir greeted the Chelsea Pensioners with Mr Healey and Alistair Carns, minister for veterans and people.
Helen Maguire, the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for defence, welcomed the funding boost.
“I was calling for this at the veterans’ debate the other day. It’s absolutely great that he’s (Sir Keir) listened to our calls for this,” she told the PA news agency.
“There are so many veterans that face homelessness and they deserve some extra support.”
The Reducing Veteran Homelessness programme and Op Fortitude said that the funding will also help provide mental health support.
Veterans can be “proud individuals” who can be reluctant to seek help on mental health issues because they feel there is “a bit of a stigma”, she said.
“So hopefully the support will go and help them, so people can actually reach out to them and help them understand that they actually need support, to actually help them move forward in their lives.”
