An army veteran who survived against the odds after stepping on an improvised explosive device has inspired an MP to campaign for a new medal for British soldiers injured in combat.

Cpl Andy Reid MBE, lost his legs and right arm while serving in Afghanistan in 2009. His local MP, David Baines said there was currently no medal automatically awarded to soldiers who survived serious injuries.

The Labour MP for St Helens North told a Commons debate he wanted to bring in a new honour after hearing Cpl Reid's story.

Mr Baines said according to Ministry of Defence statistics, 2,644 personnel suffered battle injuries since January 2006.

The next of kin of soldiers killed in combat are awarded the Elizabeth Cross medal.

But Mr Baines said other nations issued medals to wounded veterans, including the United States which awarded the Purple Heart, and India, which presented the Wound Medal or Parakram Padak.

"While everyone who serves deserves recognition, I believe that those who are injured deserve specific acknowledgement of their sacrifice," Mr Baines told his parliamentary colleagues.

"Behind every one of these statistics is a person like my constituent Cpl Andy Reid MBE – someone whose life has been permanently altered in service to this nation, yet who receives no specific recognition for the wounds he carries."

Cpl Reid was on patrol in Helmand Province when he stepped on the Taliban bomb, which destroyed his right leg below the knee, his left leg above the knee and his right arm above the elbow.

Medics did not believe he could survive, but he pulled through and has since forged a career as a motivational speaker and charity campaigner through his Standing Tall Foundation.

He received an Operational Service Medal for his tour of Afghanistan, but Mr Baines explained: "That medal tells only part of his story.

"It records where he served, not what he sacrificed. It does not mark the physical wounds he carries or the daily challenges he faces with tasks others take for granted."

Cpl Reid thanked his MP for raising the issue in parliament and said that for some injured troops "a thank you from the nation that might just pull them out of that dark place and move forward with their lives towards a better future".

Responding to the debate on behalf of the government, Veterans Minister Louise Sandher-Jones said officials were considering "whether a defined injury medal would be the best method of recognition in such circumstances, whether such an award would be viable."

She said any change to the medals and military honours procedure would "have to go through the correct channels".

Honors and medals are a form of recognition from the government on behalf of the monarch, instituted by royal warrant.

Ms Sandher-Jones concluded: "That is important, because it places the medals system and other honours and awards above the political fray."

David Baines said he remained committed to continuing to build cross-party support in parliament to establish the official medal, and was joined by other MPs who support the campaign, including Bootle MP Peter Dowd.

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