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I meet many people in distress or who have experienced homelessness and discover a great many are ex- forces personnel.

Our Armed Forces sacrifice so much for us and for our security. They also provide global peacekeeping and humanitarian support.

They should be thanked and rewarded for their courage and professionalism, and supported in coping with the physical and psychological consequences of their service.

Instead, many are left by the wayside upon their return, without support to adjust to civilian life and to access health and mental health services.

(Image: Getty)

For all their bluster, the Tories have failed to properly fund support and rehabilitation services for them. The number of veterans with issues such as PTSD has risen 70 per cent in recent years. Yet there is no dedicated service to give them mental health support, nor a government-run emergency phoneline.

Veterans have been forced to wait months for counselling appointments, which often come too late. Between 1995 and 2015, 400 veterans took their own lives, and self-harm among veterans rose by 30 per cent from 2010 to 2015.

The Sunday People’s Save Our Soldiers campaign has highlighted the devastating consequences of this failure to support our Armed Forces.

A Labour government would do more to support our veterans. We back the Save Our Soldiers campaign. We cannot ask our Armed Forces to look after us, without being prepared to look after them in turn.