Veterans who were forced to leave the Army because of their sexuality will receive up to £70,000 in compensation, according to reports.
A ban on lesbian, gay and bisexual people serving in the Army was lifted in 2000, and transgender people were allowed to serve from 2014.
Defence secretary John Healey will announce tomorrow (12 December) that those who were dismissed or discharged because of their sexual orientation will receive £50,000.
Additional payments of up to £20,000 will be given to veterans or serving Army personnel who were negatively affected by the ban before 2000 during their time in service.
LGBT inclusion
Last year, the Etherton review heard the experiences of 1,145 veterans and recommended that those affected by historic bans be compensated. The then Prime Minister Rishi Sunak apologised for the way LGBT veterans had been treated, calling it an “appalling failure”of the British state.
The total amount available for compensation will be £75 million, according to the Times, a 50% uplift to the financial recognition scheme.
Veterans will also be able to apply to have their rank restored or discharge reason amended, it is understood.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson told the paper: “We deeply regret the treatment of LGBT serving personnel between 1967 and 2000, which was wholly unacceptable and does not reflect today’s armed forces. We are fully committed to ensuring this issue receives parliamentary scrutiny.
“We are delivering on all the recommendations from the LGBT veterans review, with 38 of the 49 already implemented. We are working with experts across government to establish an appropriate financial redress scheme and will provide more details very soon.”
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