UK’s ‘moral contract’ with forces ‘must be renewed’

Britain’s ‘moral contract’ with its armed forces has been ‘corroded’ and must be renewed, Labour’s shadow defence secretary will say today.

John Healey is expected to use a speech at the London Defence Conference to argue that 13 years of Conservative government have contributed to poor accommodation, falling morale and increasing numbers leaving the armed forces.

He will say: ‘While threats increase, our “hollowed out” forces are working with fewer troops and without vital kit they need to fight and fulfil our NATO obligations.’

Mr Healey is expected to point to a survey conducted in 2022 that found just 45 per cent of personnel were satisfied with service life and 39 per cent reporting low morale in their unit.

In March, Labour launched a campaign for improved accommodation for service personnel, blaming ‘damp and mouldy housing’ for falling morale and criticising the Government for ‘failing in their duty to our forces’.

Mr Healey’s speech will also take aim at comments from Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, who told the Commons in January that the UK’s armed forces had been ‘hollowed out and underfunded’.

He will also repeat calls for the government to halt planned cuts to the number of full-time soldiers in light of increased threats to Britain’s security and ensure the armed forces have the equipment they need to fulfil the UK’s commitments to Nato.

March’s Budget saw the government commit another £5billion to defence spending over the next two years, with most of the money going towards major projects and investment rather than dayto-day costs.