Alicia Kearns MP has presented her petition in Parliament calling on the Government to protect the Veterans Railcard and HM Forces Railcard in law.
Alicia’s petition received 1,848 signatures overall. 225 people signed the physical petition, and 1,623 people signed Alicia’s online petition relating to this issue.
The Government is passing legislation – The Railways Bill - to enshrine railcard discounts for young people, the elderly and disabled passengers in law. The Conservatives laid an amendment to put the same protections around Veterans and HM Forces Railcards with legislation, and the Government voted against them. The Government argued it could be trusted not to remove these railcards in the future, and it was unnecessary to guarantee them in law.
Alicia Kearns, Member of Parliament for Rutland and Stamford, said:
“This Government voted to protect railcard discounts for young people, the elderly and disabled passengers in law yet in the same breath, voted against doing the same for our veterans and Armed Forces.
“Government told us we should simply trust them not to remove military railcards in future. That is not good enough. The men and women who served this country deserve statutory protections, not a promise, not goodwill, not a ministerial assurance that could be reversed the moment it becomes inconvenient.
“If the principle is sound enough to enshrine in law for others, it is sound enough to enshrine in law for those who serve.”
