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Telegraph
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Royal Marines in DEI row over women on front line
The Royal Marines have become embroiled in a row over the role of women on the front line. In a highly unusual move, a serving member of the elite corps has publicly raised concerns about the possible lowering of standards for female trainees – and claimed that lives could be at risk if Britain goes to war. The commando has claimed that up to 1,000 of his fellow Marines backed a private letter to military chiefs raising fears that so-called diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) policies were in danger of creating an 'unrecognisable, weak and compromised version of the corps'. The letter claimed that some women at the Commando Training Centre were being 'artificially pushed through training ', resulting in what was described as 'unearned paper-passes'. In a video subsequently posted online, the commando – who does not give his name – said: 'We believe that we have the high standards that we keep for [a] very important reason, which is to prevent Marines from being killed in dangerous situations when we go to war... We are concerned that those standards are being dropped.' He also alleges that after raising concerns with his chain of command about the lowering of physical fitness standards for female recruits, he was treated 'like a terrorist and a criminal'. This included being briefly held by police under counter-terrorism legislation. 'I ask them: 'Am I being detained?' They say: 'No, you're not being detained, but we're holding you here under the Terrorism Act. And I'm just shaking my head in this instance. And I said: 'Have I committed any acts of terrorism? Am I expected to commit any acts of terrorism?' And they said: 'No, we have you here because of your views,'' he states in the video. The ban on women serving in ground close combat roles was lifted by David Cameron, the prime minister at the time, in 2016. Two years later, Gavin Williamson, the defence minister at the time, announced that all military roles, including those in the Marines, would be open to female recruits. The Ministry of Defence denies any positive discrimination – pointing out that to date, not a single woman has met the gruelling physical standards required to earn the coveted green beret. However, a number of women do serve in the elite corps in other roles, while hundreds of others are attempting to enter the service. According to the commando, there is widespread concern privately within the corps that female trainees are passing elements of Marines training based on lower standards of performance. In an attempt to demonstrate the strength of feeling among fellow commandos, some weeks ago, he circulated an anonymous petition to his peers. He claimed that it has received a flood of support. 'Full-on witch hunt' In the online video, he said: 'That survey exploded in the Royal Marines. Within 24 hours, I can tell you that nearly a thousand people had signed up [to] that survey. Now why do I say within 24 hours? Because within 24 hours it was deleted. That survey was taken down.' He said that after the letter and petition reached military chiefs, he was 'cautiously optimistic' it would be taken seriously. Instead, he has accused the MoD of launching what he describes as a 'full-on witch hunt'. He claimed that his superiors initially tried to blame the letter on 'Russian bots' before launching an investigation to identify who was behind the letter. During the internal inquiry, he said that colleagues were made 'to feel like they would go to jail' if they did not give up his identity. After handing himself in to his chain of command, he was flown from his military base – thought to be in Scotland – to MoD headquarters in London for what he describes as 'two-hour interrogation'. 'They tell me that they deal with security leaks. And they essentially try and make what is a genuine issue look like it was just some uppity Marines that are just being sexist, being evil... It's absurd because we wrote that in the survey, that we were concerned that... we will be painted as sexists. And that is exactly how they treated us. Telling me that I should be concerned for my career. Telling me that I should comply for the sake of myself and my family.' 'Thousands are concerned' He claims that military officials showed no interest in the fundamental issue he raised, despite what he described as the 'vast majority' of the Marine Corps sharing his concerns. 'I asked them explicitly. 'So thousands of Marines are concerned about this issue. I'm concerned about this issue. I'm here representing these Marines now.' And that made me feel strong, to be honest... because I've had the backing of the vast majority of the Marine Corps. And I said: 'Are you looking into our concerns at all?' ... They said: 'Absolutely not... we are here to talk about you,'' he said. During the two-hour discussion, he was told that questioning DEI policies could 'distress' female recruits currently going through marine training, he said in the video. After questioning, he was allowed to return to his duties. However, he was subsequently detained for questioning under counter-terrorism legislation. He claimed that officers from Police Scotland were waiting for him at immigration on his arrival at a Scottish airport following a family holiday. The MoD does not deny that the commando was flown to London for questioning; nor that he was detained by Police Scotland under counter-terrorism legislation. Whitehall sources have suggested that Police Scotland was concerned he may be linked to 'extreme far-Right politics.' However, he was never arrested or charged, and continues to serve as a Royal Marine commando. The MoD denies that as many as 1,000 Marines backed the petition. A Whitehall source described the figure as 'unverified'.
Telegraph
15-02-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Labour MPs turn on Lord Hermer as ethics watchdog urged to investigate
Another Labour MP said: 'If you've got financial interests you should be declaring them, that's a given. From the local councillor up to the Cabinet minister. No questions. It's an absolute aberration to have a senior minister avoiding that transparency. I'm surprised this still hasn't been sorted.' 'It's clearly a cause for concern. Some of us feel he's not assisting the Government's cause,' said another. In a letter sent to the Prime Minister on Saturday and seen by The Telegraph, Sir Gavin Williamson, the former defence secretary, wrote: 'I am writing to you to raise concerns that the Attorney General, Lord Hermer, has breached the Ministerial Code, and to ask you to refer him to the Independent Advisor on Ministerial Standards.' He cited articles 3.1 and 3.8 of the code, which relate to the perception of a conflict between personal and ministerial interests. Sir Gavin wrote that Lord Hermer's 'lack of transparency on this issue has led to the widespread perception of a conflict of interest and as such is a breach of the obligation under the Ministerial Code'. Allies of the Attorney General insist he has followed the procedures for interest declarations for the House of Lords, which are more lax than for the House of Commons. 'He's thinking as a lawyer, not as a politician' However, a Cabinet source said: 'Anyone with political nous would see the problem of not declaring your interests as a minister. But if you're looking for someone with political nous, it is not Richard Hermer. 'He's thinking as a lawyer, not as a politician. He thinks 'what are the rules in the Lords, I'll follow them so there's no problem'. He doesn't think about how it looks. But there is what is legal and there is the perception of what is right, which are not always the same thing. There is a court of public opinion too and he needs to realise that.' Explaining the wider animosity towards Lord Hermer, the source said: 'There's a clash of ideas about politics and the law which is more fundamental than just one person, but Hermer embodies it. The question is, for example, how do you treat the threat of going to court? Hermer's view is that you shouldn't fight if there's a chance you could lose on ECHR grounds or whatever. But sometimes you really should fight even if you might lose. Because you might win but also because you want to show the public that you care. It's about ideas, not just process.' On Tuesday Lord Glasman, an influential Labour peer, called Lord Hermer an 'arrogant, progressive fool' and said 'he's got to go'. Revelations about the Attorney General's former clients have made for difficult headlines for the Government. On Saturday it emerged that he had represented a terrorist who helped to plot 9/11 in a compensation claim. Earlier in the week Lord Hermer was found to have worked on a similar case in which he acted for an al-Qaeda chief linked to the 7/7 London bombings.
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Navy submarine name change is woke nonsense, says Shapps
The Royal Navy has announced it is changing the name of a new submarine from HMS Agincourt to HMS Achilles, in a move branded "woke nonsense" by former Defence Secretary Grant Shapps. It follows reports of concern within the Ministry of Defence that the original name for the vessel - which is being built in Barrow, Cumbria - may have offended the French. Agincourt refers to a battle England won against France in 1415, as part of the Hundred Years' War. On Sunday, the Royal Navy said the submarine would instead be named HMS Achilles and that the change had been under discussion for more than a year. A spokesperson said Achilles particularly appropriate as the world prepares to mark the 80th anniversaries of Victory in Europe and Victory over Japan days - both of which take place this year. A previous vessel named HMS Achilles received battle honours during World War Two. Another ship with the name took part in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, when the Royal Navy defeated a French and Spanish fleet. Gavin Williamson, a Conservative former defence secretary, first announced the name Agincourt in 2018 for the under-construction vessel, the seventh of the Astute Class submarines to be commissioned. There had previously been suggestions it could be named Ajax. A Navy statement said the name change had been under discussion for more than a year and "was proposed by the Royal Navy Ships Names and Badging committee and approved by His Majesty the King". But the switch has caused controversy, not least because the announcement came shortly before the Sun newspaper was due to publish a story on internal debates over its planned name. In a post on X, Shapps said "renaming HMS Agincourt is nothing short of sacrilege". He said the original name signified a defining moment in British history. "Under Labour, woke nonsense is being put ahead of tradition and our Armed Forces' proud heritage," the former Conservative MP said. There has been no public comment from French authorities. Changing the name of Royal Navy vessels is relatively rare but not without precedent. In 1939, a Royal Navy corvette due to be named HMS Pansy became HMS Heartsease just before it was launched. All of the Navy's Astute Class submarines bear a name beginning with the letter A: HMS Astute, Ambush, Artful, Audacious and Anson are all in active service. Alongside HMS Achilles, HMS Agamemnon is also under construction.
