The Labour Government has been accused of neglecting Britain's defences to "fiddle with screen breaks" by an ex-army officer. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has introduced new health and safety guidance encouraging soldiers to take 10-minute screen breaks every hour, reports suggest.
Armed forces personnel were also urged to use emojis in internal messages in a bid to combat "visual fatigue and mental stress", according to a document published by The Times. Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Crawford hit out at the policy, suggesting it had taken precedence over "setting out how Britain will fund its military commitments".
Criticism of the MoD guidance
He wrote in a blog post: "At a juncture where the defence Budget was woefully inadequate ... is this really the attitude the country should be adopting? We need urgency, resilience and operational readiness, yet Whitehall appears determined to supervise trained adults as though they were schoolchildren."
Chancellor John Healey filled a £4.7billion black hole in the defence investment plan at the Budget on Wednesday, a blueprint that takes Britain's defence spending to 2.7% of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2027. He also committed to spending 3% of GDP on defence by 2030, a step towards meeting Britain's commitment to NATO to spend 3.5% by 2035.
Budget backlash and defence plans
But he attracted criticism for saying details of where this cash will come from will be delayed until the spending review, currently pencilled in for next autumn. Among those speaking out against the plans was Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, Labour chairman of the Commons Defence Select Committee.
Mr Dhesi said key defence decisions in the Budget had been "lamentably delayed" and warned "we risk leaving ourselves seriously vulnerable" in the event of a major conflict. He added: "There is a cost to inaction. Investment in our nation's defence and security cannot be kicked into the long grass.
"Our adversaries are not bound by fiscal years and spending cycles. We need to urgently rebuild our capabilities now."
Response from the Defence Secretary
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting branded the comments "completely unfounded criticism" and said Labour has "already made decisions that is leading to the fastest increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War".
The MoD's health and safety guidance, circulated internally to UK-based personnel and civilian defence staff, reportedly instructs users to take short intervals away from their desks as well as covering workplace etiquette such as avoiding crossing their legs or ankles to prevent posture issues.
Lt Col Crawford said: "[On Wednesday] ministers left the detailed route to their longer-term defence spending targets until next year's spending review. Today, personnel can consult detailed instructions about their workstations. That contrast should embarrass the Government."
The MoD has been contacted for comment.
