Brown condemns abuse of uniforms

Gordon Brown has condemned reports that RAF personnel from a Cambridgeshire base have been told not to wear uniform in public after being verbally abused.

He said armed forces members should be "encouraged to wear their uniform in public and have the respect and gratitude of the British people".

The decision not to wear uniform was taken by the station commander at RAF Wittering near Peterborough.

Defence minister Derek Twigg blamed "a tiny minority" for the abuse.

It has been claimed that verbal abuse has been directed at service personnel by people opposed to UK involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq.

I think it should be rescinded and I've written to the Defence Secretary asking him to consider that Stewart Jackson MP

Cambridgeshire police said they did not know of any abuse reported in the city.

But the city's Conservative MP, Stewart Jackson, said he believed the order should be rescinded and that the ban amounted to using a "sledgehammer to crack a nut".

"The police don't have records of any serious problems. My understanding is that it's a small number of incidents of verbal abuse.

"I think it should be rescinded and I've written to the Defence Secretary asking him to consider that," he said.

The Mayor of Peterborough, Marion Todd, said the decision not to wear service uniforms was a "sad day for the city".