City MP Stephen Morgan spent a week of Parliamentary ‘recess’ visiting armed forces personnel at the British Forces base in Cyprus to see the work of our forces first-hand.

During the trip, Mr Morgan was given a tour of the base, joined servicemen and women on a live training exercise, and spent time speaking with personnel about their experiences. On the Friday, Stephen travelled to Dhekalia to meet with soldiers from the 2^nd Royal Anglians.

Stephen got a real feel for armed forces life, staying and dining in barracks alongside serving men and women all week. As well as taking time to discuss operational topics, the Portsmouth MP spent the week finding out more about the daily life of service personnel, visiting the local health and family welfare services as well as various charities.

He also visited the United Nations Protected Area (UNPA) and the empty Former Nicosia International Airport to observe the work of the United Nations Peacekeeping force in Cyprus. The derelict site remains within the buffer zone on the western edge of Nicosia between the Turkish and Cypriot sides of the island.

Mr Morgan also spent part of the week at RAF Akrotiri to discuss Operation Shader, the UK forces’ work as part of the international coalition taking military action against Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.

Stephen Morgan MP, said:

“It was really useful to see first-hand the excellent work being done by our armed forces in Cyprus, especially in taking the fight to Islamic State with Operation Shader.

“It was an honour to meet so many hard-working personnel and listen to their experiences in service – I will be taking what I learned in Cyprus back to the House of Commons, so I can continue to speak with authenticity on issues affecting our forces personnel. I’ll always be a strong voice for our armed forces in Parliament.

“I want to thank everyone who looked after us during the visit. It was great to spend time alongside such hard working and talented individuals”.