Starmer reassures emotional veteran who set up charity after friend’s suicide
The Labour leader met Dan Smith during a visit to Darlington.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Sir Keir Starmer commiserated with an Army veteran who became emotional when he explained how he set up a charity after the suicide of a fellow ex-serviceman.
The Labour leader was meeting people in a Darlington cafe when he heard from father-of-three Dan Smith, 37, who served in the Royal Irish Battalion.
Mr Smith explained he was moved to start the Darlington Veterans’ Community, a charity which helps local ex-servicemen who may be suffering with the cost-of-living crisis. It aims to give them a sense of belonging and help them fight isolation.
He became upset when he talked about the death of his friend during lockdown, with Sir Keir reassuring him to take his time when telling the story and grasping his arm.
Mr Smith said the charity, which is self-funded, supports 600 local people and helps pays for their gas and electricity bills if they are in need.
“It shouldn’t be like that,” Mr Smith said.
“We send young lads to fight for democracy in countries they cannot even spell and when they come back here, they haven’t got democracy.”
Sir Keir replied: “You are right, it shouldn’t be like that.”
After their meeting, Mr Smith said he was pleased to have been heard by the Labour leader.
He said his friend who killed himself during lockdown was a fellow veteran with the Royal Irish who had served in the fighting in Musa Qala, Afghanistan.
The charity was set up to support veterans who may also have felt desperate and isolated, giving them the same sense of community they had in the forces, and had already saved lives, he said.
Mr Smith said: “Sir Keir was reassuring and I have faith in him that he will do something about it.”
Sir Keir was joined on the visit to Darlington by shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves and the two visited local cafes and a cheese and wine shop.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.