Hartlepool MP Jonathan Brash says: 'I will always put Hartlepool's veterans first'

If Hartlepool’s veterans did not support the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill in its current form then neither would I.

Over the subsequent weekend, I sat down with local veterans at our Armed Forces Breakfast Club.

I listened to their concerns, their frustration and their genuine upset. Their opposition was clear and I took their views seriously.

I recognise the efforts ministers have made to strengthen the Bill.

But those changes have not resolved the concerns of the veterans I represent.

So, last week, I honoured my pledge and voted against the Government.

These are difficult and sensitive issues, but that makes it even more important that Parliament gets them right.

Those who have served our country deserve to know that their voices matter.

My loyalty is to the people I represent and I will always keep my word.

That commitment extends well beyond Parliament.

In November 2023, as a Hartlepool councillor, I moved a motion to ensure military compensation was disregarded when assessing eligibility for locally administered benefits.

This was about a simple principle: compensation awarded in recognition of the pain, injury and sacrifice endured by our service personnel should never leave them worse off.

Thanks to that decision, Hartlepool now disregards military compensation across all locally administered benefits, including council tax support and housing benefit.

I was proud to help make Hartlepool one of the few councils leading the way on the Royal British Legion’s Credit Their Service campaign.

But the fight is not over. I am supporting calls for the same principle to be applied nationally, including to pension credit, so veterans receive the support they deserve wherever they live.

And we are working to deliver something tangible here in Hartlepool, too.

I was delighted when our bid secured nearly £1 million for a new Valour veterans’ support centre in Middleton Grange.

Working with East Durham Veterans Trust, Hartlepool Development Corporation, the council and local veterans’ organisations, we are progressing the work needed to turn that funding into a reality.

With nearly 4,000 veterans living in Hartlepool, this matters enormously.

They served us. We must stand by them. And I will always put Hartlepool’s veterans first.