2025 Covenant Conference: A Landmark Gathering in Glasgow
August 26, 2025
The 2025 Covenant Conference was held on the 2nd and 3rd of July at Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow, marking a milestone in the evolution of Covenant delivery across the UK.
This year’s event followed a major announcement by Prime Minister Keir Starmer that legislation will be brought forward to deliver the manifesto promise to bring the Armed Forces Covenant fully into law.
The conference was the first opportunity to formally explain these changes and engage with stakeholders from across the UK on their implications.
Significantly, this was the first time the conference was held within a devolved nation, encouraging in-person participation from a broader range of organisations.
The conference was a sellout success, with over 250 delegates attending in person and more joining virtually. 110 questions were submitted via our SLIDO platform, highlighting the strong engagement and interest from participants.
We were honoured to welcome Alistair Carns OBE, MC, MP, Minister for Veterans and People, who addressed our evening reception by sharing insights from his recent record-breaking ascent of Mount Everest. The Minister also led a plenary session, outlining his vision for the Covenant and the future of Defence, followed by an open Q&A with delegates.
Plenary sessions focused on a wide range of topics, including:
- Armed Forces demographics and needs
- Delivery insights from Greater Manchester
- Developments in Service Children’s services
- New findings from the Our Community, Our Covenant report
- Overviews of Op Valour and a new NHS Covenant training team
- An explanation of the current and extended Covenant legal duty.
Day two featured three targeted breakout sessions aimed at gathering insights from those directly involved in Covenant delivery. We are sincerely grateful to the Royal British Legion, Forces in Mind Trust, Shared Intelligence, RAND Europe, Chris Thomas, and Caroline Hopper for their expert facilitation.
We also extend our thanks to our commercial sponsor, Tunnock’s, for their support, and to the team at Ibrox Stadium for hospitality.
Planning is already underway for our 2026 event – we look forward to welcoming you then!