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WHITEHALL

MPs reject call for army vet checks

Parliament has rejected calls for a duty on local public bodies to ask service users whether they are military veterans when accessing services.

Parliament has rejected calls for a duty on local public bodies to ask service users whether they are military veterans when accessing services.

MPs rejected the idea during the second reading of the Armed Forces Bill last week.

In written evidence, the Local Government Association warned that councils and local bodies could struggle to identify armed forces veterans or reservists who sometimes require additional support – for issues like drug and alcohol dependency – if they are not given better information. Ministers rejected the proposal as too onerous.

WHITEHALL

Why place matters: building a nuclear robotics future in Cumbria

By Kirsty Hewitson | 01 September 2026

Place-based investment can turn overlooked regions into national centres of innovation and growth, says Kirsty Hewitson.

WHITEHALL

Nobody ever voted for a map

By Ben Page | 17 August 2026

Rewiring the State offers the most significant shift in local government for a generation, but there is still a lot that has been left unwritten, says Ben Page.

WHITEHALL

EXCLUSIVE: Public rebuffed over reorganisation plans

By Paul Marinko | 30 July 2026

Ministers have gone against the public’s preferred reorganisation option in the majority of areas, The MJ can reveal.

WHITEHALL

Hard truths facing the NHS

By Matthew Taylor | 21 July 2026

As Andy Burnham arrives at No10, Matthew Taylor argues that real NHS transformation demands upfront investment, a twin-track approach that moves faster where...

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