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Military personnel, their families and veterans are to have their unique circumstances legally protected by central government for the first time under new plans announced by the Prime Minister.

As the nation marks Armed Forces Day, the Prime Minister visited RAF Valley in Wales where he met trainee pilots and their families to celebrate Armed Forces Week.

It comes as the Government confirms plans for the first time that all government departments will have to legally consider the needs of the Armed Forces community when making new policy.

More details of the legal duty will be set out in due course, but could include initiatives such as extending travel benefits to the families of veterans and the bereaved, or flexible working for partners of serving personnel who are required to move as part for their role in the Armed Forces.聽

This delivers on a manifesto promise and is part of the Government鈥檚 commitment to renew the nation鈥檚 contract with those who serve and following the Strategic Defence Review, which underscored the role our Armed Forces play in protecting our national security, which is the foundation of this Government鈥檚 Plan for Change.聽聽

This Government has committed to renewing its contract with the Armed Forces community, delivering two above inflation pay awards for service personnel and an extra 拢1.5bn investment this parliament to improve forces鈥� family housing through the Strategic Defence Review.聽

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:聽

鈥淎cross the country and around the world, our service personnel and their families make the ultimate sacrifice to keep us safe and protect our freedom and our way of life.聽

鈥淲hen I became Prime Minister, I made a promise to serve those who have served us. Through the new Armed Forces Covenant, we are delivering on that promise 鈥� ensuring our service personnel, veterans and their families are treated with the respect they deserve 鈥� that is our duty.聽

鈥淥ur Armed Forces Covenant will put our Armed Forces community at the very heart of government decision-making. Their courage, duty, and sacrifice are the foundation of our national values, and they deserve nothing less.鈥�

The new Armed Forces Covenant Legal Duty will ensure:聽

• Fair access to services:聽Ensures that serving personnel, veterans, and their families are not disadvantaged.
• Priority support for those most in need:聽Provides additional help for those who have given the most, such as the injured or bereaved.
• Legal duty on public bodies:聽Local authorities, NHS bodies, and schools must consider the needs of the Armed Forces community in their decision-making.
• Annual reporting:聽The government is legally required to publish an annual report on Covenant delivery and progress.聽

Announcement follows the Prime Minister鈥檚 鈥渉omes for heroes鈥� policy guaranteeing housing for all UK Armed Forces veterans, exempting them from local connection rules for social housing.聽

The Prime Minister also announced 拢3.5 million of funding for wraparound support services for veterans at risk of homelessness, including mental health, employment, and independent living support earlier this year.聽

Today鈥檚 announcement forms part of a wider commitment to renew the contract with those who have served the country are treated with respect and long-term security.聽

Under the new legislation all areas of government will for the first time have to have 鈥榙ue regard鈥� for the Armed Forces Covenant when policy and decision making; taking into account the unique circumstances and position of the Armed Forces community to prevent disadvantage.

Currently this is only legally required in areas of housing, healthcare and education and only at local level, so, not applicable to central government. The Legal Duty Extension marks a huge step forward in increasing support for the Armed Forces community.

This extension follows consultation with over 150 organisations and builds on recommendations from the House of Commons Defence Select Committee.

Veterans and People Minister Alistair Carns MP said:聽

鈥淪ervice life offers unique opportunities for personal growth and camaraderie, but it also demands exceptional sacrifices. Today, we鈥檙e taking bold action to ensure that those who serve our country receive the recognition and support they deserve by embedding these principles into law.

鈥淲hether you serve in the regular or reserve forces, you and your families stand to benefit from the Covenant Legal Duty Extension and its principles as part of our government鈥檚 commitment to renew the nation鈥檚 contract with those who serve.鈥澛�

The Armed Forces Covenant is built on a simple but powerful principle: no one in the Armed Forces community should face disadvantage in accessing public or commercial services.

Mark Atkinson, Director General, Royal British Legion:

鈥淭he Royal British Legion has been calling for a stronger Armed Forces Covenant for over a decade.聽

鈥淭hose who have served in the Armed Forces often face unique challenges, for example moving frequently during service can make it hard for families to receive consistent support from public services or for spouses and partners to build careers. Expanding the Covenant Legal Duty will help public services better respond to these challenges by ensuring the needs of the Armed Forces community are taken into account when making decisions.

鈥淐urrently the Covenant Legal Duty only applies to some areas of housing, education, and healthcare. We firmly welcome the decision to bring the Covenant fully into law to make sure all parts of government across the UK are working together and focused on providing the best possible support for those who are serving, have served, their families and the bereaved.

鈥淚t will be vital that the impact of the Duty is measured effectively and those who deliver services must also be resourced with funding and training so that they can fully understand the purpose of the Armed Forces Covenant to ensure this change makes a meaningful difference to the lives of all those in the Armed Forces community.鈥�

The new legal duty announced today will extend this commitment across all government departments and devolved administrations. This transformative measure ensures that serving personnel, reservists, veterans, and their families are considered in every relevant policy decision鈥攇iving them a meaningful voice and delivering on the Government鈥檚 pledge to strengthen support for our Armed Forces communities.聽

This builds on existing successes in housing, education, and healthcare, such as dedicated NHS pathways for veterans and the Service Pupil Premium.

Additional information

The extension of the Legal Duty will encompass all UK Government Departments and Devolved Governments, and the following policy areas:聽

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• For more information about the Armed Forces Covenant and the legal duty extension, please visit聽.
• It is our ambition to include these statutory changes in the next Armed Forces Bill, which is required every five years to continue to have an Armed Forces.