I rise to comment on new clause 52. This is important, because in April 2019, I wrote a letter with the former Member for Bridgend, Madeleine Moon, to the then Home Secretary, my right hon. Friend the Member for Bromsgrove (Sajid Javid), and then to his successor a few months afterwards. In that letter, we called for a waiver of fees for Commonwealth servicemen and women. The new clause rightly amends that to all non-UK citizens in the new clause, which is effectively the core of what the new clause of my hon. Friend the Member for Plymouth, Moor View (Johnny Mercer) calls for. It is good to see him in his place this evening and back in the House. I welcome that.
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There are some realities that make it difficult for us to vote for the new clause, not least the fact that it does not need to be in primary legislation. The amendments can be made outside legislation through immigration and nationality fee regulations, and when it comes to sums of money, it is important that it is done that way.
I remind Ministers that in that letter, I highlighted the point that the current situation
“irks many members of the public that our nation looks mean spirited to those who volunteered to join us”,
and potentially put their lives at risk. The letter was signed by 130 MPs, including three Secretaries of State in the current Government, 10 Ministers, including the Veterans Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for Aldershot (Leo Docherty), and one Whip. This letter—this belief—has a considerable amount of moral support around the House.
I suspect that the Minister will say that the Government need to respond to the consultation that they held earlier this year and that this is not the time to divide the House or to make rapid decisions, which I totally understand, but I hope that Ministers will confirm this
evening that they will look at this very closely, with a clear understanding of the support around this House for the moral principle at stake. I hope they will come back to the House when they respond to the consultation so that we can have a full debate on it then. I hope at that stage we will be able to support changes that they make that will enable non-UK citizens to carry on serving in our armed forces.