MoD: Plunging Royal Navy, Army and RAF recruitment worsened by poor morale as government pledges fix

Staffing numbers were addressed in the House of Commons today (November 18), with the current government promising to solve the concerns. Defence secretary John Healey said morale among the forces was at “record low”, but Labour was committed in solving several issues - poor accommodation, pay and staffing - impacting on working standards.

Luke Pollard, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence - Labour MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport - said: “This government has already begun to modernise and refine our policies and processes to attract and retain the best possible talent in our armed forces. We are delivering for defence with a 35 per cent pay increase for new recruits, one of the largest pay increases in the last 20 years for existing personnel, scrapping over 100 outdated medical policies and setting an ambition to make a conditional offer of employment to candidates within 10 days, and a provisional training start within 30 days.”

Richard Holden, Conservative MP for Basildon and Billericay, said all three armed forces are currently below target for the number of troops they hold - with numbers continuing to fall. He added: ““Does the minister believe there will be any year where there will be a net increase? Does he have a target for overall increase in those years? Or is it like 2.5 per cent, we’re just going to have to wait and see. It may be good but not yet.”

Mr Pollard went on the offensive in response. He said: “The recruitment target was missed every single year in the last Conservative government. It will take us time to fix this process, but we have already made announcements about improving retention and recruitment, and we will make further announcements in the months ahead to make sure we’re dealing with the gaps in our capabilities, improving morale and making sure we have forces able to deter and defeat aggressors if necessary.”

In a question about plans to repeal the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023, Mark Francois, Conservative, said how can people be persuaded to stay in the armed forces if they sense the government doesn’t have their back. Mr Pollard responded: “Let me be very clear, this Government is renewing the contract between the nation and those who serve, a contract that had been eroded over 14 years – black mould in military accommodation, falling morale, gaps in our capabilities.

“We’ll not only be making sure that we’re supporting retention and recruitment, but through the work that my colleague the Defence Secretary (John Healey) does in Cabinet and the minister for veterans and people (Al Carns) will be supporting our veterans as well.”

To try and bolster the armed forces, Mr Pollard confirmed that “more than 700 applications have been reconsidered following the removal of 100 outdated medical policies such as blocking some sufferers of hayfever, eczema and acne”. Helen Maguire, Liberal Democrat MP for Epsom and Ewell, said young people trying to join the forces were frustrated by long waits for medical assessment.

“I understand the need for applicants to be thoroughly assessed, but we are losing valuable recruits due to the processing time,” she said. “Many cannot afford to wait around and ultimately, they choose a different path. How is the minister ensuring the medical assessment process runs efficiently.”

Mr Pollard it’s a very important part of the application process to ensure the people accepted into the forces are fit enough to serve them. “We have already made progress in this area by removing outdated medical processes,” he added.

“We’re working with colleagues across health to make sure that when someone signs up, access to their medical records can be smooth and efficient, to reduce the time delay from when someone wants to serve in our armed forces and actually getting their first foot in the door at a training base. There’s lots of work to be done on this, and we hope to make further announcements in due course.”

Part of the government efforts to increase morale includes introducing an independent armed forces commissioner, who would aim to champion military personnel and veterans. Sally Jameson, Labour MP for Doncaster Central, asked if the commissioner would increase parliamentary oversight. Mr Pollard said having an “impartial figure” to raise concerns from personnel and their families would improve morale as they know someone would be listening to them and take action.