LGBT Veterans Independent Review

Baroness Burt of Solihull Excerpts

Monday 23rd February 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Coaker (Lab)]

The noble Lord makes an important point. The fundamental principle of the scheme that is operating is to ensure that everybody who was affected by the ban between 1967 and 2001 receives the recognition that they deserve. For some, that will be under the financial recognition scheme, whichever part of that it may be, but part of this is about the restoration of rank, berets and those sorts of things. It is not the Government’s intention to exclude anyone who is eligible, and we will ensure that as much as we can. I heard what the noble Lord said, and we will always look at that, but we need to make sure that we get to those people who are covered by the scheme.

[Baroness Burt of Solihull (LD)]

My Lords, it seems that gay veterans have, in some ways, been delivered a double whammy: not only the central discrimination, which is the way they were discriminated against in the past, but, on top of that, the discrimination and delays in rectifying it. It would be good if the Government could indicate when we are likely to see this rectified.

[Lord Coaker (Lab)]

This gives me the opportunity to say this to the noble Baroness: I urge everybody that all applications for the scheme need to be in by midnight on 12 December this year. It is important to make that statement. The Government have no interest in trying to delay, or in not doing everything as quickly as possible. The noble Baroness urges the Government, as other noble Lords have, to do as much as we can, as quickly as we can. We will do that, because it is not in our interest not to. This is in the interest of putting right something that was wrong, and that is supported across the Chamber. It is our intention to ensure that we get to as many affected veterans as possible, to ensure that they get not only recognition under the scheme but some way of trying to put right the wrong of the past.