Line of Duty creator Jed Mercurio has let rip at a poverty scandal that has seen hero veterans forced to beg, borrow and steal simply to survive.
Mercurio, 58, a former RAF Top Gun, fired a stinging broadside as analysis revealed ex-service personnel are twice as likely to run out of food than those who have never served their country.
They have been released on the day Britain falls silent to honour the memories of those who died serving the country and in the year of the 80th anniversary of D-Day, the Allied invasion of Normandy in Nazi-occupied France on June 6, 1944, which paved the way for the end of the Second World War.
The TV writer, whose credits also include Bodyguard, Bodies, The Grimleys, and Cardiac Arrest, said: “It is appalling that anyone is having to go without essentials such as food or heating. Some Armed Forces veterans also face disability and other health conditions that further exacerbate the challenges of living on a low income.
“It is not right that people who have served our country are having to miss meals, turn to food banks or pawn possessions in order to survive. The Government needs to update the social security system to ensure that everyone is able to afford the essentials.”
Mercurio was commissioned as a pilot officer in 1988 with the intention of specialising in aviation medicine, but has since become one of Britain’s most successful TV writers.
Line of Duty, the smash-hit BBC drama focusing on the work of anti-corruption unit AC-12, stars Vicky McClure, Martin Compston and Adrian Dunbar and has been a ratings sensation. Filming for a seventh series is set to start next year and air in 2026.
Critically accalimed thriller Bodyguard launched the careers of Richard Madden and Keeley Hawes and won a clutch of TV awards.
Mercurio is now an ambassador for anti-poverty charity Trussell which is working to end the need for food banks in the UK.
New research shows more than one quarter of those who have served have run out of food in the last 12-months, and did not have money to buy more, a rate almost twice the number of those in households where nobody has served.
A further study among a representative sample of UK vets aged 16+ found that more than one quarter reported they or their household have forfeited essentials like medical or dental care, essential journeys, adequate clothing and food in the past six months, and one in seven had to access a food bank in the past year.
Additionally, one in 11 vets say they are struggling to keep up with bills and credit commitments.
One in six vets with a physical or mental health condition have been unable to heat their home when they needed to in the past three months, and one in 10 sufferers received an emergency food parcel in the past month.
Vets in families with children are also disproportionately impacted by hardship, with half reporting going without essentials like food in the last six months and one in five forced to access emergency food in the past month.
One in nine reported borrowing money from a high interest lender, like a payday lender and one in seven resorting to pawning or selling belongings.
Former soldier Mark Warmer, from London, was forced to turn to a food bank earlier because he had not received benefit payments.
He said: “I served in the French Foreign Legion for almost a decade and saw some really difficult things that have stayed in my brain and still affect me.
“After I left, I moved back to the UK and became a security guard and for the last 28 years I’ve worked as a concierge, a street warden and in security, but in April I had to leave work to care for my mum who has dementia.
“I applied for Universal Credit but was told that, because I quit my job, I’d be sanctioned. I haven’t received anything for the last six months – despite having always paid tax and National Insurance. I was struggling to buy food for me and my mum, or pay bills, so I ended up having to go to the food bank and they’ve been great – they have helped me appeal the sanctions and apply for carers benefits, as well as helping me look for other jobs.”
The findings come from YouGov polling on behalf of Trussell of 589 people who had previously served in the UK Armed Forces as a regular and/or reservist. The figures have been weighted to be representative and reveal a scandal that shames Britian.
Helen Barnard, of Trussell said: “It’s shocking that veterans in this country are experiencing this level of hardship. We know that the main reason people are forced to turn to a food bank is insufficient income, and this research shows clearly many veterans in the UK are having to try and get by on incomes that are simply too low to cover the essentials like food, bills and clothing.
“The Government must swiftly build on its action in last month’s Budget to tackle hardship in our communities, to meet their manifesto commitment to end the need for emergency food. This must include further updates to our social security system to ensure it is fit for purpose, recognising the needs of groups who are at particular risk of hardship, including veterans.”
Sasha Misra, of charity Help for Heroes, said: “We are seeing an increase in anxiety from veterans and families about how they will make ends meet.
“In the past year we have supported more than 400 households with grants to help pay energy and food bills as the cost-of-living crisis continues to bite.
“Some veterans face additional challenges in their daily lives which disproportionately increase their living costs and create barriers to lasting employment. As well as physical injuries, many veterans live with hidden disabilities, such as mental illnesses, PTSD, chronic pain and other non-physical conditions.
“Many of the veterans who leave service due to illness or injury find that there isn’t the right support available for them when they make the transition to civilian life, this is where reform is needed.”
