Celebrating and supporting our armed forces

Mary Creagh MP with Dan Jarvis MP, Secretary of State for Defence

Mary Creagh MP celebrated Armed Forces Day at the annual parade in Coventry City centre followed by a service at Holy Trinity church to celebrate the servicemen and women who keep the UK safe.

Mary recommended Coventry parade master, reservist John Convery, for a letter of special recognition from the Secretary of State for Defence Dan Jarvis thanking him for his work with veterans in Coventry and his key role in organising the Coventry Armed Forces Day parade.

The Labour government is delivering for our armed forces across the country, and for the 7,000 veterans in Coventry. The Government has delivered the largest pay rise for our forces in two decades, new recruits are getting a 35% pay boost and outdated rules that prevented people joining up have been scrapped.

£18 million is being invested in Warwick University and other universities in the West Midlands, as part of an £80 million national investment for new student places in engineering, cyber, robotics, and aerospace - the skills that will keep Britain safe in the twenty-first century.

The Government has brought 36,000 forces family homes back into public ownership while ensuring a new £9 billion strategy will renew nine in ten forces homes, and build 100,000 more for forces families and veterans.

The enormous contribution of veterans, and the challenges many face after serving their country, is being recognised and supported. The Labour government has committed around £30 million investment into new support hubs through Operation VALOUR, £12 million to end veteran homelessness, and record funding for veterans' mental and physical health.

Watch the video from Mary below.