A disabled war veteran who won a three-year tussle with defence chiefs over his pension has leapt to Ann Keen's defence after she was accused of being a 'lazy' MP.

The Brentford & Isleworth representative is due in court next month to fight claims she ignored an elderly constituent's appeals for help.

But Christopher Hague, of Summerwood Road, Isleworth, insists he would still be locked in battle with the RAF were it not for her efforts.

The 58-year-old served in the RAF for 16 years from 1968-84, picking up medals for his efforts in Northern Ireland and the Gulf War.

He became a concierge for Hounslow Council before being declared unfit to work four years ago, following a liver transplant and a disastrous leg operation.

Mr Hague, who has three daughters and a grandson, asked to receive his MoD pension before his 60th birthday due to his disabilities but his request was rejected.

Only after Mrs Keen got involved did the RAF finally relent, and even then it took another 10 months, but he believes her intervention made all the difference.

"Ann Keen did so much for me and I don't think I could have achieved what I did without her help," he said.
"I was spending three hours a week communicating with her office and I remember one occasion when she phoned me herself after 10pm just to update me about the case."

Ann Keen said: "I am happy that I could help Mr Hague and was pleased when he started to receive his pension following my work with the MoD. All MPs take on hundreds of cases from their constituents each year and there are, thankfully, a lot of successful outcomes like this.

"However, there are inevitably some that, for one reason or another, prove more difficult to resolve and we sometimes hit a brick wall. These cases are rare and only reach that stage when all avenues are exhausted."

Mr Hague contacted the Chronicle after reading how John Taylor was seeking £15,000 damages from Mrs Keen over claims she failed to pursue his case.

The 83-year-old D-Day veteran has spent the last decade fighting for compensation after his conviction for burglary was overturned.

He claims Mrs Keen has ignored scores of letters about the issue over the years, but she insisted the case had reached an 'impasse' after his solicitors failed to respond to her latest offer of help.

The pair are set to battle it out at Brentford County Court on April 29.