David Cameron made a surprise visit to Camp Bastion this afternoon. After a lunch of German sausage and potato with the troops, the Prime Minister made one announcement that may rile military chiefs, and another designed to keep them on side.
The possibly irritating statement was that Cameron is ‘confident’ he could meet his promise to bring British troops back from Afghanistan by the end of 2014. He said an announcement about the number of soldiers to be brought back in 2013 will be made at the end of this year.
But senior military sources have warned the Press Association that ‘we need to maintain a strong presence’ in Afghanistan if the government is to meet its aims in the state. There’s also irritation rankling among military chiefs that the government has used the armed forces to effectively bail out G4S after the private security firm failed to deliver sufficient staff for the Olympics. They are taking the decision to cancel troops’ leave and set them to work at Olympic venues as a sign of contempt for the armed forces.
Which might be why the Prime Minister made a second announcement. Seriously injured troops will be exempt from the assessments for the new personal independence payment, and will be guaranteed a disability payment worth around £130. This announcement is a signal from the Prime Minister to those in the armed forces that he is not taking their service for granted. Cameron said that he ‘intervened’ to ensure that the military get a ‘special deal’ when it comes to support. Speaking from Camp Bastion, he added: ‘I think this is absolutely vital. The military covenant, it’s all about the country saying to our armed forces ‘we respect and revere you and we are going to do more for you’.’
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