Today’s Defence related news includes incorrect claims that soldiers are on standby to support commuters impacted by the Southern rail strike and reports that a legal review has been ordered into the government policy on relocating Afghan staff to the UK.
Rail Replacement Buses
The Telegraph front page article claims that 4000 soldiers are on standby to drive train rail replacement buses for commuters affected by the rail strike.
An MOD Spokesperson said:
The Ministry of Defence has no plans to deploy military personnel in response to this latest round of rail strikes.
Afghan Translators
There are reports this morning that a legal review has been ordered into the government policy on relocating Afghan staff to the UK. The Independent states that nearly 1,000 Afghans who helped British forces have been relocated to the UK while the Daily Mail links this review to their campaign to support Afghan interpreters.
Defence Minister Mike Penning said:
Locally employed civilians played a pivotal role in helping our troops build a more secure, stable and prosperous Afghanistan. We owe a debt of gratitude to these brave men and women which is why we have a package of policies in place for those made redundant after the drawdown of British combat forces.
Since the start of the government ex-gratia redundancy scheme, we have relocated around 350 former local staff and their families, more than 900 people in total. A committee which I chair is ensuring that Afghan staff who feel threatened, after being employed by the UK, are properly supported by our expert teams both here and in Kabul. It features experts from across Government and, importantly, Qari – a man who gave so much for our cause and who has recently been relocated to the UK.
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