Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the report entitled Lost and Found: The LGBT+ Veteran Community and the Impacts of the Gay Ban published by Northumbria University on 2 June 2023; and if he will make a statement.

We are proud of our LGBT+ veterans and grateful for their service in defence of our nation. The Government is committed to listening to veterans and improving our services to them.

The experiences detailed in the Northumbria University and Fighting with Pride report do not represent what Defence stands for, and it will always be deeply regrettable that any of our personnel were subjected to such treatment.

Whilst the research report from Northumbria University and Fighting With Pride provides helpful context to the lived experience of LGBT Veterans, the government is committed to considering the findings and recommendations in Lord Etherton’s LGBT Veterans Independent Review. The government will publish Lord Etherton’s review shortly and respond to its recommendations as soon as it can.