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.