Support for Veterans: Policy overview

This briefing provides an overview of the evolution of veterans’ policy since 2010, highlighting the major strategies, reviews and legislation passed under successive governments. This briefing also provides statistical information on veterans in Britain taken from the 2021 census.

Definition of a veteran

Simply put, a veteran is defined as either:

• an individual who has served for at least one day in His Majesty’s Armed Forces (both regular and reserve).
• a Merchant Mariner who has served in a legally defined military operation.

Many veterans do not identify themselves as such and often refer to themselves as either Service leavers or ex-Service personnel. 

Increased focus on veterans’ needs

The specific needs of veterans have come under ever-greater focus in the last two and half decades. This has been driven in part by:

• the post-service experiences of those who served in combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, with an increased focus on mental health as well as physical rehabilitation
• the reduction in size of the armed forces, which drew attention to support for those leaving and transitioning to civilian life
• the centenary of the First World War and significant anniversaries of the Second World War, which served as a reminder of the needs of the elderly cohort of veterans.

Coalition and Conservative governments: 2010 to 2024

During this period the government published the Armed Forces Covenant and enshrined its principles in law, set up an Office for Veterans’ Affairs in the Cabinet Office, established a new online veterans’ gateway service and published the first strategy for veterans.

The government passed legislation which established a statutory presumption against prosecution of current or former personnel for alleged offences committed on overseas military operations more than five years before.

A government-commissioned independent review of welfare services for veterans in 2023 found the veterans welfare system to be a “complex ecosystem” that “can feel almost impenetrable for those outside the system seeking support”. The government also commissioned a review of the experience of LGBT personnel who served between 1967 and 2000.

Labour government (2024 onwards)

Following the general election in July 2024, the new Labour government moved the Office for Veterans’ Affairs from the Cabinet Office to the Ministry of Defence (MOD). In late September, the government retired the veterans gateway website; users are redirected to new gov.uk pages on support for veterans.

The MOD is continuing the work of the previous government to implement recommendations made by independent reviews of welfare services for veterans and the historic experiences of LGBT personnel. The government is also continuing the rollout of veterans’ identity cards, including the launch of a new digital ID card. The government has said that the cards will be accepted as voter identification in future elections.

In November 2025, the government published a new Veterans Strategy. At its heart is a new veteran’s support network called VALOUR. £50 million of funding has been provided to establish a network of regional support centres across the UK with the aim of delivering easier access to care and support across housing, employment, health and welfare services. The first centres will open in spring 2026.

Going forward, the government has committed to putting the Armed Forces Covenant “fully into law” in the 2026 Armed Forces Bill.

Commons Library briefings on veterans’ issues

Our veterans’ collection of briefings provide information on support and services available to veterans on a variety of topics including: access to housing, healthcare, employment and benefits, as well as information on compensation and pension schemes. Our briefings explain what the Armed Forces Covenant is and its status in law, the evolution of government policy towards veterans, and veteran-specific legislation.

Our briefings also provide information on how to access service records, maintaining and funding war memorials, how to apply for medals and prominent medal campaigns.

Our data dashboard shows the number of veterans by constituency and lists the top 20 constituencies with the highest proportion of former armed forces personnel.