PM supports RAF veteran banned for being gay

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has committed to doing "everything he can" to ensure a veteran who was dismissed from the RAF in 1966 for being gay can walk on Remembrance Day with his beret and medals.

Chris Dennis, 80, from Bagshot, Surrey was court martialled months before being gay was decriminalised in the UK in 1967.

The prime minister called the previous LGBT military personnel ban an "absolute scandal" after Dennis' case was raised in Parliament.

Surrey Heath MP Dr Al Pinkerton, who raised the case, said: "Despite the governmnent committing to restoring the medals and berets, and acknowledging the injustice of those discharged prior to 1967, his case has been dismissed out of hand."

Speaking at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, Pinkerton asked Starmer to ensure the case is "resolved swifly" and to and allow "Chris to march on Remembrance Day as he wishes with his medals, beret and dignity restored".

Dennis, who joined the RAF as a radar technician, is currently not allowed to wear a beret and cap badge at Remembrance Day parades.

He said: "I feel out of it."

Dennis is also not eligible to receive £50,000 in compensation from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) as it's LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme only covers personnel who served from 27 July 1967 to 11 January 2000.

In 1967, the Sexual Offences Act decriminalised private homosexual acts between men aged over 21.

In response to the question, Starmer said: "I will do everything I can to ensure that that [Dennis' case being resolved] happens, which is absolutely what should happen.

"It [the LGBT ban] was an absolute scandal and it is absolutely right it was overturned, but we must follow through on that."

An MoD spokesperson said it "deeply regrets the treatment of LGBT serving personnel between 1967 and 2000, which was wholly unacceptable".

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