Hull North MP slams Lib Dems over armed forces pay betrayal

Hull North MP Diana Johnson today slammed the Lib Dems over their broken promises on armed forces pay.

Speaking in the Commons the Hull North MP said: "Weeks before the 2010 Election, in full knowledge of the deficit, Lib Dems promised to "raise the pay of our lowest paid soldiers by as much as £6,000".

"Now their Coalition is ignoring the Armed Forces Pay Review Body to impose a real terms pay cut. As I understand it, the Operational Allowance increase only benefits at most a third of armed forces personnel.

"Shouldn't promises made to our armed forces be worth more than another abandoned election pledge from the Deputy Prime Minister?"

The exchange happened in Defence Questions in the Commons today.

An example of promises made to the UK armed forces by the Lib Dems shortly before the 2010 General Election can be seen at http://bit.ly/vApoBg.