As MP for a constituency with a deep-rooted military history, Caroline is committed to protecting the area's defence industry, personnel and veterans. She has frequently raised questions about local military issues in Parliament and has welcomed a number of Defence Ministers to visit important local military sites and businesses.
Caroline led a successful campaign for the restoration of the entitlement to Home to Duty Travel Allowance for service personnel travelling to work on the Gosport Ferry, promoting a more sustainable journey to work, and reducing congestion on key roads on and off the peninsula.
Following an increase of Service Family Accommodation complaints in 2016, Caroline raised her concerns with the then-Minister, Mark Lancaster, and was successful in getting an MP's hotline set up so that constituents' issues could be resolved efficiently.
After many years of threats to the future of HMS Sultan, Caroline’s interventions helped secure the future of the site. In 2022 the MOD announced it had abandon the planned disposal of HMS Sultan altogether.
As a member of the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme, Caroline witnessed first-hand the day-to-day work and challenges faced by our service personnel. Her visits to the Falklands and Afghanistan, along with UK military sites, have helped her to stand up for the Forces in Parliament– over the Armed Forces Covenant, war widows' pensions, R&R time and a host of other welfare issues.
Caroline spent 4 years as Vice-Chairman (Navy) of the APPG for the Armed Forces, where she took steps to highlight the particular challenges faced by the Naval Service.
For almost a decade, Caroline campaigned to secure a medal for the veterans of the Arctic Convoys. While these heroic men endured dangerous and freezing conditions in WWII to keep the supply lines with Russia open, for over 70 years it remained the only major sea campaign of the war to not have received a dedicated medal. Caroline's campaign saw her lobby the Prime Minister and Defence Secretary, while also leading a debate on this issue in Parliament and contributing to Sir John Holmes' Military Medals Review. In 2012 the Government announced the creation of the Arctic Convoy Star medal - surviving veterans received their medals at the beginning of 2013 and widows and family members have since received medals on a rolling basis.
In 2022 Defence Secretary Ben Wallace accompanied Caroline to StandardAero, at Fleetlands, whose work on rotary wing aircraft is integral to our defence infrastructure. Caroline has since reminded Defence Procurement Minister James Cartlidge about the wealth of aviation engineering skills and experience in the Gosport area, as the Government considers bids to replace the UK’s mixed medium helicopter fleet.
Caroline has lobbied continually for improvements to the quality of on-site accommodation for sailors at both HMS Sultan and HMS Collingwood.
The 2021 Census revealed that 12.5% of the Gosport population have served in the Armed Forces at some stage of their life. This is the highest proportion of anywhere in England and Wales. Caroline has worked with a number of veterans charities across her constituency and campaigned for the Veterans Agency to open a dedicated MP helpline to better assist her in supporting her constituents.
She is looking forward to the 80th Anniversary of the D-Day landings, which is taking place in Portsmouth.
