EXCLUSIVE: LGBT veterans compensation to be sped up after fury at 'painfully slow' process

Around 20,000 armed forces personnel were jailed, dismissed or outed against their will before the rule on service was lifted in 2000, described by Veterans Minister Al Carns as a 'truly dark era'

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Ministers have vowed to speed up compensation for LGBT veterans who were forced out of the armed forces over their sexuality after fury over delays.

As many as 20,000 armed forces personnel were jailed, dismissed or outed against their will before the rule on service was lifted in 2000. LGBT veterans are eligible for up to £70,000 in compensation for this historic injustice, including payments of £50,000 for those who were dismissed or discharged due to their sexual orientation.

Extra payments of up to £20,000 are available for veterans and serving personnel who were affected by the ban from 1967 to 2000. But campaigners have sounded the alarm over the speed of the process.

Veterans Minister Al Carns confirmed plans to scale up the team dealing with payouts in a Westminster Hall debate today, where he was warned that "justice delayed is justice denied".

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Liberal Democrat MP Jess Brown-Fuller said a review by Lord Etherton in 2023 exposed the "systematic mistreatment of LGBT service personnel" under the Ministry of Defence's(MOD) watch.

She told MPs: "The findings were harrowing. Veterans were subjected to deeply invasive and degrading investigations based solely on suspicions of homosexual activity."

Veterans were subjected to interrogations, degrading physical examinations and conversion therapy, she said. People lost their careers and pensions, their medals, their reputations and even acquired criminal convictions. Others were forced to come out to their families or conceal the reasons for their dismissal.

Ms Brown-Fuller said: "The implementation of the scheme as been woefully inadequate, the pace of delivery has been painfully slow and the communication from the MOD has frankly been appalling. This is not justice delivered, this is justice delayed. And as well all know justice delayed is justice denied."

Mr Carns, a former Royal Marines colonel, said it was a "truly dark era in military history" and said the injustice had "cast a long shadow" over the lives of many veterans.

"It's an injustice that has placed the Ministry of Defence on the wrong side of history, and it's an injustice that this Government is determined and has done so much to address," he said. "No matter when these events occurred, they were completely wrong and we will address them."

It comes after the Mirror revealed fury from veterans at the speed of the approvals process for compensation.

The Ministry of Defence confirmed it would double the size of the team processing applications and increase the number of sittings of the Independent Panel reviewing cases to two per week. A new automated payment system is also being built to wipe out processing delays and administrative bottlenecks.

Mr Carns told the Mirror: "We deeply regret the treatment of LGBT serving personnel between 1967 and 2000 which was wholly unacceptable. We have been prioritising payments to the elderly and those with serious health conditions to ensure they receive support as quickly as possible."

He urged veterans to apply for compensation and said he would ensure they get the recognition they deserve.

Peter Gibson, chief executive of Fighting with Pride, said: "We are pleased to hear the Minister’s robust assurances today, and are grateful for his direct engagement with Fighting With Pride enabling us to share veterans experiences. The promise of faster payments now must be delivered.”

Rishi Sunak apologised on behalf of the government for the historic treatment of LGBT veterans in 2023, following a review by Lord Etherton. The then-PM said the ban on allowing gay people to serve in the military was “an appalling failure" of the British state.

Last year, Defence Secretary John Healey described it as a "moral stain on our nation" as he unveiled a £75million pot to fund compensation.