The Mother of All Parliamentary Schemes...

In the last week there have been several posts on social media by MP’s fortunate enough to have taken part in visits organised by the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme (AFPS), a charity which exists to increase exposure of MP’s to the Armed Forces.

While it was common half a century ago for the majority of MP’s to have some experience in the armed forces, today this is far less likely to be the case. A smaller military, the loss of National Service and the reality that for many people a career in the Armed Forces is not particularly appealing, or that medically they cannot get in, means that less than 100 MP’s today have prior military experience.

To increase the levels of understanding about the Armed Forces, the AFPS was established to try and give hands on experience to MP’s to visit the military, learn about the Services and develop an understanding of the issues facing the armed forces today. Founded in 1989, the Scheme is privately sponsored by industry, and takes approximately 15-20 MP’s per year.

Participating MP’s wear uniform and are treated as an equivalent to an SO2 (Lt Cdr, Maj, Sqn Ldr) for administrative purposes only. They hold no actual rank, and the equivalent rank is a nicety for various administrative purposes, akin to the role of Cadet Force instructors. The MOD is keen on this for many reasons – Humphrey recalls that while deployed in an operational theatre once, he saw a much loved star of British comedy visit for morale purposes. Due to this individuals status as a ‘national treasure’ he was notionally considered and treated as a 3*, making him the most senior UK individual in theatre…

The level of commitment is high – 22 days per year, or the same as most reservists. This is on top of the busy Parliamentary workload which means participants are giving a great deal of their spare time to learn about the armed forces – something which should not be underestimated. The scheme can last for up to three years, with individual MP’s deepening their knowledge of the Services and usually specialising in a specific area as they progress.

The purpose is simple, it gives MP’s a chance to go to visit the Armed Forces across the world and learn about their life, their jobs and get a better understanding of what it is that the UK asks of its service personnel. By joining in uniform and staying on site in whatever accommodation is available, they experience a ‘warts and all’ perspective of life in the military.

This experience is incredibly valuable in generating a real understanding of how the military work, and has helped give a lot of MP’s credibility when they choose to speak on defence issues. The only caveat on their participation is that they cannot use specific information obtained during the visits for political gain, which ensures people feel they can talk openly with them about life without fear of the consequences.

These visits are uniquely British – they offer MP’s a chance to experience life not as VIP’s but as normal people with no special treatment. Few other, if any, nations Parliaments have equivalent schemes. Having organised visits in the past for the AFPS, the guidance is clear – special treatment is neither sought, nor expected. What is particularly good is the way that the participants generally turn up with a keen desire to learn, and also to share openly and candidly their experiences as MPs in return. Humphrey recalls learning as much about MP’s and the very real challenges they face as they learnt about the military – it was beneficial for both sides.

Why does this matter?

In an age when few MP’s have service backgrounds, it is vital to ensure raised awareness of what it is the armed forces do. This sort of visit can teach an MP the reality of how hard it is to use kit when cold tired and wet, or how unpleasant the forward accommodation space of an MCMV is in the Gulf during the summer. It also helps build a wider pool of knowledge that shapes debates and prevents Ministers from being able to pull the wool over the eyes of backbenchers. It is a vital tool in helping Parliament hold the MOD to account.

There is a perennial debate as to whether Ministers in the MOD should have had prior Service experience, or if this is a bad thing. To Humphrey the argument boils down to two schools of thought. The first is that an MP with prior service will understand the drivers of service life, be better able to take decisions based on prior knowledge and can appreciate what it is that they expect the armed forces to do.

The counter to this is that there are many different areas of life which could make an equally compelling case – should former doctors be Health Ministers, or former coal miners work as industry Ministers? Prior experience in a field does not automatically make you qualified to necessarily be a good Minister, and if anything, a little prior knowledge can be a dangerous thing.

It is easy to draw on what you think you know, or what your subconscious biases maybe from 20-30 years ago and then draw on this when reaching a decision. In an age when you don’t have a wealth of peers with shared experience to compare ideas with (arguably well demonstrated in Yes Minister when Sir Humphrey seeks advice at his club), you have no one who has the gravitas and confidence to tell you that your inspired good idea is fundamentally stupid and will fail if implemented.

There is also the danger that to succeed in politics is often a long and slow business, requiring a great deal of campaigning, effort and resources to win the seat required. The sort of person who leaves the armed forces at a senior enough level to have a truly strategic view is unlikely to want to take the paycut required to be a backbencher (who earn roughly the same as a senior Lt Col), and who by the time they are elected and in a position to be appointed as a junior Minister, are likely to be too old to be a ‘bright young thing’ who could in due course become a member of the Cabinet, and so may well be overlooked anyway.

Far better to encourage schemes like the AFPS, or to let Ministers be Reservists (as has been done by MP’s from several parties, many of whom became Ministers), and then appoint the right person for the job, not restrict it unnecessarily to someone who happened to serve 30 years previously.  

One of the truly great things about the House of Commons is the diversity of its members, their backgrounds and the experience they can bring to best serve the British people. The UK benefits from schemes like the AFPS because it provides experience and a ‘taster’ to help provide more experience on the backbenches. It is to be warmly welcomed and supported as a great way to let the members of the Armed Forces tell their amazing stories of success.  It is well worth going to the link (HERE) to read not just about the work of the AFPS, but also the equivalents for the Emergency Services too.