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SOPHY RIDGE: Armistice commemorations will be taking place right around the UK today, including in Belfast, where the Defence Minister Tobias Ellwood, is currently aboard HMS Duncan so let’s now speak to him. Thank you very much for being on the programme this morning.

TOBIAS ELLWOOD: Delighted to be here.

SR: Now we’ve just been hearing from three veterans of the armed forces who were speaking very frankly about mental health struggles that many former members still struggle with. One of them said there is possibly more support for people who leave prison compared to people who leave the Army and we know of course that the Royal British Legion estimates that more than a thousand military veterans are homeless. As a veteran yourself, are you really happy with the way we treat our veterans in this country?

TOBIAS ELLWOOD: Well I’ve got to put my hand up and say when I departed the armed forces a few years ago there wasn’t the support that we see today, there wasn’t the Veterans Board which makes sure that other Whitehall departments are doing their thing to support our veterans. There wasn’t the Covenant there which actually provides the policy that directs local government for example to provide that support for the homelessness and there wasn’t the Veterans Gateway, this critical single portal which offers any veteran seeking support whether it be from homelessness, housing, employment, education or indeed mental health issues, to go to as a single place to go. There are over 400 service facing charities that do excellent work but if you don’t know where they are to be found it can be difficult to know where to go so huge changes have been brought in place. I’ll be the first to say that we need to advance our support for our brave veterans, there are 2.5 million across Britain. They served our country well, we owe them a debt of gratitude and I don’t want to see anybody homeless or indeed requiring support or denied the support that they deserve.

SR: You have previously spoken about the suicide of your uncle who served in the military, has that shaped your view about the importance of tackling mental health when it comes to veterans?

TOBIAS ELLWOOD: It has indeed. Again when I served there was a stigma attached to talking about any mental health issues, you simply didn’t do it. We are changing that now, with better education, actually tackling the idea of being able to step forward, just as if you have a knee injury, if there is something wrong with your mind as well. With early intervention we can actually provide that support, can actually improve people, provide the treatment that they need so that it doesn’t incubate and then leaving the very thing that they love, the armed forces. So it is a long change, there is no doubt about it, in society as well it has been tough to talk about mental health issues. We are getting better at it and the same applies with the armed forces but it will take time to change this.

SR: Now I want to talk to you about Donald Trump who missed a visit to a war cemetery yesterday because of bad weather. Now of course those people who were serving in the First World War didn’t quite have the option to duck out if the weather was bad, what’s your take on what happened with the US President?

TOBIAS ELLWOOD: Well I’m sorry to see that decision was made. For the United States this was a pivotal event in stepping forward on the international stage. The first time that the standard was flown in global defence of liberty it was, if you like, the United States joining Britain in wanting to play an influential role, a force for good on the global stage and we’ve been working together ever since from that and the debt of gratitude that we owe a whole generation. In Britain six million people were mobilised for war, it’s so important that we reflect correctly on what sacrifice was made and that needs to be done at every level, including from the Commander in Chief of the United States Forces.

SR: Has it changed your view of him?

TOBIAS ELLWOOD: Well I won’t go into the politics of it. I felt the liberty to be able to speak on this because I am in fact a dual national but also a veteran and indeed a reservist as well and I do hope that today the world and certain Britain, the United States and our Allies, will be reflecting and giving thanks to the previous generation who not only defended our values and our shores but indeed by victory were able to create the world that we actually see today.

SR: Now we’ve heard of the Chief of Defence Staff, Sir Nicholas Carter, this morning who’s been talking a bit about the role of the armed forces in a no deal Brexit and he said they are thinking hard about what role they’ll play, so can you fill us in a little bit on what he means by that? What role could the armed forces play if there is no deal?

TOBIAS ELLWOOD: Well there’s two aspects of that. Firstly, the Prime Minister is working very, very hard and I know there is a huge amount of speculation as to what might or might not be achieved. I think we need to allow the Prime Minister to continue discussions and see what the final deal is. There will be a vote in Parliament on that and there is plenty of time to reflect on that rather than guessing ahead what might or might not be in there but whatever the case is, the armed forces stand ready to support Britain on a practical basis. I will say that our desire ambition and commitment to defend not only our country but work with our European allies and our partners, again as a force for good, remains … does not change at all. We’re absolutely committed to that and indeed in this ever changing world where the threats are getting more complicated, it’s even more important for us to work with our allies, it’s even more important that we don’t allow any red tape that comes up with the European Union to prevent us from recognising the changing world around us. The rules based order as we see it, they are being eroded and it is countries like us, ever fewer countries like us, that have the ability and the means to stand up to that.

SR: I just want to bring you back to the comments of the Chief of Defence Staff because I understand that obviously it is hard to gaze into crystal ball and predict the future but at the same time, MoD plans must be taking place and he himself has raised the fact that the armed forces are thinking hard about the role so what does that mean? Is that about transporting food for example, is that about public order, what can he be talking about?

TOBIAS ELLWOOD: Well it is the job of the Chief of Defence Staff, indeed the MoD and the Defence Secretary, to consider all scenarios whether how vague or rare they might be or whether they might be something that’s expected, we have to plan for every single scenario. So yes, there are contingency plans being made, there are discussions being held behind the scenes as to what support our armed forces will do. We step forward to support the nation in various guises, whether they be from the flooding perspective or Op Temperer which is where the police require extra support or indeed in support the Olympic effort as we saw when we hosted the games in 2012 and likewise with the transition from Brexit. If there was a requirement to provide assistance, we are looking right across the full spectrum of requirements to make sure that we are prepared to necessarily stand up if asked to do so.

SR: Jo Johnson resigned from the government this week saying that Theresa May is offering a choice between vassalage and chaos on Brexit and he can’t support that so what about you? Can you guarantee that you will vote for any deal that Theresa May will come back with?

TOBIAS ELLWOOD: Well we need to pause and just reflect on, as I touched on earlier, where we actually are. Every day there is huge speculation as to what is actually the deal. The Prime Minister is working extremely hard to strike an important economic partnership with Europe. We must allow those discussions – and they are difficult, there’s no doubt about it – 95% of the agreement is there, there are some difficult and complex issues including dealing with the Northern Ireland issue as has been covered amply in the press. Let’s allow the Prime Minister to secure the deal and then present it to Parliament. Parliament will have a vote on this and that’s where we should be moving forward and anything prior to that is pure speculation.

SR: That’s the problem though, isn’t it, that Parliament is going to have a voice on it and if Theresa May can’t get Boris Johnson on one side of the argument and Jo Johnson on the other to back her deal, it is very difficult to see how she can get it through Parliament, so what should happen then? Should we have a no deal, should we have a second referendum, should we have an election? What’s your take?

TOBIAS ELLWOOD: Forgive me but you are doing exactly what I am suggesting we don’t do which is to speculate on what might or might not be the case, there are different views on different parts of the …

SR: But it is important to look at the alternatives.

TOBIAS ELLWOOD: … party, it’s so important that we recognise – and again the Prime Minister has said this, this is the biggest decision that our nation will face in decades. It will require an element of compromise, not just from Britain and the parties and in Parliament itself but also with the European Union as well but until we see the final document, until we see the agreement that is put forward by the EU and by the Prime Minister then we are guessing as to what might be the contents of that and that is actually unhelpful at the moment.

SR: Now a final question to you, Mr Ellwood, about PC Keith Palmer, the man who lost his life in that terror attack in Parliament, trying to defend MPs in Westminster. This week it was announced that there will be a memorial to him in Parliament and that of course comes after an inquest where the Coroner ruled that his death could have been prevented if there had been different security arrangements at Westminster and his widow said the police let him down and no one wants to take responsibility. What lessons do you think should be learned?

TOBIAS ELLWOOD: Well there’s a couple of reflections if I may. Firstly I am very pleased to see that PC Keith Palmer’s life and his commitment to his work is being honoured with this memorial. I’d also say that we should owe a huge debt of gratitude to the emergency services as well. Each day they get up, put their uniform on, they have no idea as to how their day will unfold and in the case with PC Keith Palmer, he gave the ultimate sacrifice in defending in fact democracy and defending the Houses of Parliament and we must never forget that, that every day police officers are doing that up and down the country. Clearly there are many lessons to be learned, we live in a very dangerous world, Parliament itself is a building, it’s an iconic symbol of democracy and it will always be a target and I know that changes are being brought into place to make sure that we’re able to defend it but also have the transparency and openness that we’d actually want Parliament to be.

SR: Okay, Tobias Ellwood, thank you very much for joining us today.