Minister’s Afghanistan visit request ‘snubbed’

THE UK government would not arrange for any Scottish Government counterparts to visit the war zone in Afghanistan, in an apparent snub to the SNP, a defence minister yesterday said yesterday.

THE UK government would not arrange for any Scottish Government counterparts to visit the war zone in Afghanistan, in an apparent snub to the SNP, a defence minister yesterday said yesterday.

Scottish Government veterans minister Keith Brown asked last year to go to Afghanistan to help in his role with the military covenant in supporting veterans after their return home.

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However Mr Brown, who served as a Royal Marine in the Falklands conflict in 1982, has not received a reply and yesterday his party colleague and defence spokesman Angus Robertson raised the issue at defence questions in the Commons.

But UK veterans minister Andrew Robathan dismissed the request, saying: “We don’t arrange visits for ministers from Scotland.”

This is despite MPs from across parties regularly being flown out to Afghanistan to meet the troops and see what the armed forces are doing.

Mr Robertson said: “The Scottish Government takes its responsibilities for veterans extremely seriously and it is unfortunate that the MoD has ignored the request from Keith Brown to go to Afghanistan.”

He added: “Mr Brown is the only MSP to have served on the front line, as a former Royal Marine who saw action in the Falkland conflict.

“He is totally committed to his role in doing the best for veterans.

“I cannot understand why it is that he cannot go when MPs are regularly taken to Afghanistan – simply because, as the minister said, ‘the MoD does not arrange visits for ministers from Scotland’.”