A HIGH-profile MP visited military veterans to hear about issues affecting them.

John Healey, Labour's shadow defence secretary, heard about the barriers veterans faced going back to civilian life after leaving service and the supposed lack of support groups in the North West to support veterans in the area.

Mr Healey paid a visit to Dalton Community Centre to speak to veterans.

According to census data, Barrow has a higher proportion of working age veterans than the average across the North West region with over three per cent (1,348 veterans) of the population of the town being working age veterans.

Veterans of the conflict in Afghanistan also attended the meeting, with Labour pledging at its Party Conference in Brighton last month to boost mental health funding for veterans by £35 million.

It is said to follow a steep rise in calls to helplines for veterans as a result of the crisis in Afghanistan in August.

Combat Stress reportedly saw calls to their helpline double in August.

The shadow defence secretary said Labour has tried to support veterans over the past 12 months including opposing Government plans to make it harder for veterans to claim compensation from the Ministry of Defence for negligence in the Overseas Operations Bill, voting to scrap Commonwealth veteran visa fees and to force the MOD to adopt a duty of care for veterans to provide better legal and mental health support.

Mr Healey said: “Labour is deeply proud of our Armed Forces and veterans for the work they’ve done and continue to do, defending and protecting the country.

“Most veterans leave the Forces highly skilled and equipped for fulfilling civilian life, but we also must ensure those who need help get the support they need. We have a moral duty to support them.

“That’s why Labour has pledged to boost funding mental health support for veterans of Afghanistan by £35 million.”

The shadow defence secretary also visited Barrow's shipyard.

He said: “Barrow’s shipyard is a fantastic example of how UK defence spending can strengthen both our national security and our UK economy with highly skilled and well-paid jobs."