Sunak appoints former Royal Navy officer as shadow veterans' minister
Royal Navy veteran Andrew Bowie has been appointed as the shadow minister for veterans' affairs, despite the Government dropping the post from its newly formed Cabinet.
Johnny Mercer, the Conservative former Army captain who lost his seat at last week's General Election, had led the Office for Veterans' Affairs under prime ministers Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak.
However, the new Labour government confirmed that Defence Secretary John Healey will represent veterans at Cabinet, a decision which left Armed Forces charity Help for Heroes "disappointed".
A government spokesperson said: "Ministerial portfolios will be set out in due course – appointments are still ongoing.
"But first and foremost, the Defence Secretary will represent veterans at Cabinet.
"Our veterans are part of our military family, and the Secretary of State will drive work with Cabinet colleagues to deliver for them.
"We are determined to change how we do government, stopping silos and working collaboratively across departments to serve the public and veterans."
Mr Bowie, who served in the Royal Navy for three years, has been the MP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine since 2017.
The Tory MP took to X to express his delight at the appointment and to criticise the new government's decision not to appoint a dedicated veterans' minister.
Mr Bowie said: "Deeply sorry that Keir Starmer has decided not to appoint a veterans' minister in his Cabinet.
"Our Armed Forces community, our veterans and their families deserve to be heard and championed at and from the top."
The Government's decision to have no dedicated Cabinet-level representative for former personnel has led to veterans' charities expressing concern.
Help for Heroes CEO James Needham said: "While we are disappointed there isn't a dedicated veterans' minister in Keir Starmer's Cabinet, we hope John Healey and his team will continue to work with Help for Heroes and other charities to deliver the support our Armed Forces community deserves.
"We will continue to campaign for a review of the medical discharge process and end the barriers to fair compensation and benefits for veterans.
"We receive consistent testimony from those we support that these processes are not fair or working properly, and many would be shocked by the way in which our service people and their families are treated."
The sentiment was echoed by the Royal British Legion (RBL) as it sought assurances that operating without a veterans' minister would "not signal a reduction in support or priority".
It has been speculated that Downing Street could appoint a veterans' minister from outside the Cabinet, who will run the Office for Veterans' Affairs with oversight from Mr Healey.
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