Southport MP joins Parliament’s military scheme

Southport MP joins Parliament’s military scheme

MP Damien Moore has become a member of the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme, citing Southport’s veterans as an inspiration.

In September, Damien joined fellow MPs at the Defence Academy for their induction into the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme. The AFPS was created in 1987 to give Members of Parliament a taste of military life and has since expanded to include peers and MEPs. Last month, the two-day course involved rifle training, an inspection of armoured vehicles, and classes on defence and foreign policy.

Damien said: ‘I have always felt an urge to serve but speaking to our town’s veterans over the last year, I decided it was time to actually do something about it and have joined the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme.

‘The Scheme will enable me to represent my constituents and develop my understanding of our Armed Forces and the training required.’

The Southport MP will now begin the next stage of his training.

The Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme (AFPS) is a privately-run programme to give Members of Parliament and peers in the United Kingdom and members of devolved assemblies, Tynwald and British MEPs experience of the armed forces.

The objective of the scheme is to help parliamentarians understand the work of the armed forces and foster genuine personally informed contributions to participate in defence debates. MPs are neither paid for their participation or deployed during the course of their training.