Stonehouse barracks is the spiritual home of the Royal Marines, and it’s unacceptable that personnel there are routinely left without heating and hot water because of Tory under investment.

There has been boiler breakdown on average every day at the base over the last twelve months, and just 28% are fixed within twelve hours. The Defence Secretary Ben Wallace admitted these shocking figures in response to parliamentary questions tabled by Labour.

Our Royal Marines make huge sacrifices to keep our country safe and this is the last thing they should have to tolerate. Maintenance teams at Stonehouse work incredibly hard but they’re dealing with slashed budgets and equipment that is dated and needs replacing.

Since I was elected in 2017, I’ve campaigned against Government plans to close Stonehouse Barracks and have called for the MoD to identify a permanent home for the Royal Marines in Plymouth. Now that the Government isn’t closing the base until 2029, I want to see proper investment in heating, hot water systems and other facilities for those living on base.

It’s not just on base that accommodation for our military personnel is poor. Across the south west, service family accommodation is plagued by black mould, leaky roofs, broken boilers and long waits for repairs. Our forces and their families deserve better.