Soldiers and politicians have reacted with fury after British Army bosses instructed personnel to make Remembrance commemorations, including Armistice Day, more 'inclusive' by reducing Christian elements. Official policy, published in June 2022, states that 'Acts of Remembrance should be agnostic of religious elements and separated from Remembrance Services' to avoid offending veterans of other faiths or none.
A source close to Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said he was 'furious' upon discovering the orders, adding: 'The Secretary of State is Jewish and he's not offended one bit by Christian remembrance services - in fact, he believes it's at the core of our nation's history and who we are.' A dozen former senior officers, including Major General Julian Thompson and Rear Admiral Roger Lane-Nott, wrote to the minister branding the policy 'a particular insult to our ancestors who fought and died to lead the world in ending slavery'.
The controversy comes as it emerged the Armed Forces employ more than 40 full-time diversity and inclusion officers, with more to be recruited, despite troop numbers reaching dangerously low levels. Figures from the Ministry of Defence show the Army has 13 staff in such roles, the Royal Navy 15, and the RAF 14, with ten additional positions to be filled. Former minister Sir John Hayes, who obtained the details via parliamentary questions, said: 'Taxpayers care about whether the soldiers are up to the job, and frankly the Ministry of Defence should be focusing on just that.'
The RAF spent £473,690 in 2019-20, £168,283 in 2020-21, and £921,110 in 2021-22 on diversity recruitment campaigns targeting ethnic minorities and women, according to Defence Minister Dr Andrew Murrison. In 2022, RAF head of recruitment Group Captain Lizzie Nicholl quit after refusing to prioritise women and ethnic minority candidates over white men, alleging unlawful positive discrimination; she is in line for a £1 million payout after a report backed her claims.
An MoD spokesman defended the roles, stating: 'Our priority is protecting national security. These roles are not new. For the Armed Forces to be effective we must be able to recruit and retain the best people from the broadest cross-section of society.' The row follows a Defence Select Committee report warning that the overstretched military may be unable to wage an all-out war.
