On the 4th anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Danny Chambers has again highlighted the “dangerous gap” in the UK's ability to train new recruits if government plans to close down facilities, like the Army Training Regiment Winchester, go ahead as suspected.

The Winchester MP reports that he has secured a meeting with the Minister for the Armed Forces - Alistair Carns - to discuss the matter. He is expected to call on the Minister to review plans for the base closure, and ensure there is no gap in Army training capability at least until new facilities are up and running.

The Winchester base currently trains almost 20 per cent of all new Army recruits and has the lowest dropout rate of any training regiment in the country. The Ministry of Defence plans to close the site in 2026, despite the replacement facility at Pirbright not being expected to open until at least 2030.

Danny Chambers MP said:

"It makes absolutely no sense to close one of the Army’s most successful training bases, especially when Putin is increasingly making military threats to Britain and the whole of Europe. China is rapidly expanding its military, and NATO is being undermined by Trump’s regime. 

“The Government must pause these plans and put national security ahead of bureaucratic timetables."

The MP added that shutting down ATR Winchester in 2026 would create a four-year gap in the Army’s ability to train new recruits, hindering the government’s stated intention to increase troop numbers, and called on the Government to provide urgent reassurance to staff and the local community that ATR Winchester will remain open until a fully operational alternative facility is ready.

Danny says:

"I understand why this issue has caused anger and anxiety among many veterans, particularly given the painful legacy of the Troubles and the extraordinarily difficult and dangerous circumstances in which so many served.

"The way this issue has been presented has understandably caused immense distress among the veteran community. I want to be clear about why I voted the way I did, because I believe the vote was actually about protecting veterans, not undermining them.

"Wednesday’s vote was not to introduce new legislation, and it was not a vote to remove protections from veterans. It was a vote on a ‘Remedial Order’, a narrow technical measure to correct the wording of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 after the High Court in Belfast ruled key provisions unlawful.

"The judgment from the High Court was handed down in February 2024. From that point on, the Legacy Act’s ‘conditional immunity’ provisions were unlawful and had never come into force. They were protecting no veterans at the time of last Wednesday’s vote because the provisions were not legally in effect. The Remedial Order did not reopen cases, lower evidential thresholds, invite new claims, or worsen the position of any former service member. Let me be absolutely clear: because those provisions were unlawful and uncommenced, the 2023 Act gave veterans no genuine legal immunity nor protection.

"The vote mattered because it struck-down language that created a deeply offensive moral and legal equivalence between terrorists and British service personnel by seeking (albeit unlawfully) to extend blanket immunity to both. That equivalence was wrong in law, wrong morally, and wrong in principle. Removing it matters.

"In voting for the Remedial Order,  we voted to uphold the rule of law and end that disgraceful equivalence by removing the unlawful provisions that had sought to grant blanket immunity even to the most violent of terrorists.

"We now need to make sure the Government listens to Liberal Democrat calls for genuine, lawful protections for veterans. My colleague, and Northern Ireland spokesperson, Paul Kohler MP led on this debate for us and I recommend reading his speech which will give you a fuller understanding of the Liberal Democrat position, including why we voted the way we did. You can read it here.

"Furthermore, Paul has tabled new clauses and amendments to the Government's legislation to replace the Legacy Act which would guarantee our veterans are treated fairly and never again equated with terrorists by addressing the demands made by Veterans,   Associations. They include protecting the rights of veterans to anonymity, to have full welfare support and to have access to an independent reviewer of their safeguards. You can read them in full by accessing the Amendment Paper here.

"The Liberal Democrats have consistently supported proper legal protections for veterans - not the Tories’ false promises that the courts have already struck down as unlawful. We believe those who served with honour in Northern Ireland deserve genuine safeguards, not unlawful and uncommenced immunity provisions that put them in the same category as terrorists and provided only illusory protections that never came into force.

"More broadly and outside the scope of the Troubles, the Liberal Democrats are committed to ensuring all veterans receive the support and recognition they deserve. We believe that veterans are being let down - it is a scandal that those who put their lives on the line in defence of our country too frequently fall through gaps in support.

"We have called for a fair deal for our veterans and military personnel, including improvements to military housing and compensation, and the establishment of a Fair Deal for Service Personnel, Veterans and Families Commission to ensure that everyone who has stood in defence of our nation is rewarded and properly supported. Our recent campaigning secured a commitment from the Government to assess family military homes according to the Decent Homes Standard - the very least our service personnel deserve.

“I have always been proud to support our veterans and I remain committed to ensuring they receive the recognition and protection they deserve.”

Liberal Democrat MP for Winchester, Danny Chambers has hailed a breakthrough victory to bring military family homes up to the Decent Homes Standard in law, after years of campaigning by families and the party.

The change, secured after the Government conceded to a Liberal Democrat amendment to the Renters’ Rights Bill, will for the first time require the Ministry of Defence to assess Service Family Accommodation every year and report on whether it meets the Decent Homes Standard - creating a clear statutory mechanism for identifying and addressing shortcomings.

The Government initially rejected the Liberal Democrat amendment but conceded after sustained campaigning by the Liberal Democrats in Parliament.

Liberal Democrat research earlier this year revealed over 400 families were forced to apply for emergency repairs over VE Day in 2025, as some service families were living in damp, mouldy, and even rat-infested homes.

The amendment was initially tabled by Liberal Democrat Housing and Communities Spokesperson Gideon Amos MP and then retabled in the House of Lords by Liberal Democrat Peer and Spokesperson for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Baroness Grender. 

It marks the culmination of years of work by the party to bring fairness and dignity to military housing, after the Conservatives in government rejected a previous attempt by the Liberal Democrats to change the law to improve the quality of military service family homes when the Renters’ Reform Bill was before Parliament, last year.

Danny Chambers, Liberal Democrat MP for Winchester, said:

“The Liberal Democrats have worked hard to successfully change the law. Service families will finally have secure and stable homes that are decent to live in, and I feel proud that we have made a difference.

“Mouldy, damp and cold homes are unacceptable. These living conditions are no way to treat those who have given up so much in order to serve our country. Our successful change to the law will help ensure military families have access to clean, safe housing. 

“I’m proud to have supported my colleagues in achieving this crucial reform, and I’ll keep pushing for better housing standards across Winchester.”

This April, Winchester MP Danny Chambers will be joining a team of MPs and MSPs to drive ambulances in a life-saving mission to deliver vital, life-saving aid to Ukraine. Partnering with the International Christian Medical and Dental Association (ICMDA), Mighty Convoy, and the Christian Medical Association of Ukraine (CMA).

So far, the charities have already raised over £1.3m and sent over 150 lorry loads and over 40 ambulances of purchased and donated medical supplies worth over £10 million to provide vital medical aid to Ukraine since February 2022.

Danny Chambers, who will be driving one of the ambulances across Europe from London to Lviv said:  “As Russia continues to bomb civilians, towns, and infrastructure, it’s urgent that we act to help. We are raising funds to donate  desperately needed ambulances and medical supplies to hospitals in Ukraine.”

“Britain has backed Ukraine since this war began and the people of Winchester have been amongst the most generous - hosting many war refugees and donating funds and supplies. I’ve been using my platform in parliament to urge the UK to continue to support Ukraine, but I wanted to do more. So I’ll be using the next parliamentary recess to drive one of these ambulances full of life-saving supplies and ensure aid reaches those who need it most.”

“This is how people out there can make a real difference. I’m asking people to support this mission with a donation of just £25, which will help fund the vital supplies needed to save lives in Ukraine. A contribution will directly impact the frontline efforts to provide essential care where it’s needed most.”

One second-hand ambulance costs £7,000 to purchase, service and drive to Ukraine. To support the aid mission organised by the International Christian Medical and Dental Association (ICMDA), Mighty Convoy, and the Christian Medical Association of Ukraine (CMA) - You can donate here.