From: Richard Godley, Meadowfields, Whitby.

I wonder if anyone else noticed the irony displayed on the front page of The Yorkshire Post today (May 5)?

The headline that 'Social Care is doomed to failure' followed by a call to act over rough sleeping, followed by Starmer praising Forces Veterans.

As a Falklands war Veteran myself, I wonder if he is aware that between 300 and 400 Vets end up living on the streets every year. Research suggests that up to 3 per cent of people sleeping rough in England are Veterans, and up to 4,000 require urgent support to find accommodation.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage after Reform made gains against both Labour and the Conservatives across England in local polls. PIC: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire

placeholder image — Reform UK leader Nigel Farage after Reform made gains against both Labour and the Conservatives across England in local polls. PIC: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire

All this despite the Armed Forces Covenant which should have, by now, fully addressed this problem.

A lot of these Vets have psychological problems and a great percentage will not have an Armed Forces Pension. Even if they do have an AFP it is then extremely likely that they are OAPs as well, and because of Starmer's sidekick Rachel in accounts' policy of maintaining fiscal drag, the measly 1.7 per cent increase to the AFP will have been virtually wiped out by the taxman. My own AFP afforded me a luxurious rise of £12.48 a year after tax.

With luck, when the Reform Party is in charge and their Cabinet is made up of no-nonsense right thinking, previous civilian job-holding people, they will reform the way that Veterans and Pensioners are treated by giving them a realistic tax threshold.