Ministry of Defence shells out £436k to racially-abused troops over four years

DEFENCE chiefs have paid out more than £400,000 in compensation for troops who have been racially abused since 2016, it can be revealed.
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The Ministry of Defence paid £436,000 to aggrieved armed forces personnel in claims across 22 employment tribunals.

Since 2010, there have been a total of 75 race discrimination tribunals held by the military, defence minister Baroness Annabel Goldie has admitted.

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The revelation comes just days after the Tory defence boss insisted the military had ‘worked hard’ to become more diverse.

Stock image of soldiers from the 16th Regiment Royal Artillery on parade at Thorney Island.
Picture Ian Hargreaves (161299-6)Stock image of soldiers from the 16th Regiment Royal Artillery on parade at Thorney Island.
Picture Ian Hargreaves (161299-6)
Stock image of soldiers from the 16th Regiment Royal Artillery on parade at Thorney Island. Picture Ian Hargreaves (161299-6)

Labour’s shadow armed forces minister, Stephen Morgan said lashed out at the government over its ‘shoddy record’ in protecting troops, which was contributing to a ‘slump’ in morale.

The Portsmouth South MP said: ‘With the peaks we’ve seen in the last decade, these figures reveal years of government failure to tackle discrimination against our troops.

‘What is more alarming is that this may only be scratching the surface, with many incidents of racism not even reported, let alone actioned.’

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Baroness Goldie said the government was attempting to improve the situation.

But the Tory peer admitted: ‘The Ministry of Defence recognises that unacceptable behaviour, including racism, still occurs. We are committed to eradicate this, and have a zero-tolerance approach.

‘Defence, does not yet represent society and it is essential that we work towards this. We recognise that the pace of change needs to quicken and are renewing our ambition at the highest levels of the department.’

More than 11 per cent of the UK’s armed forces are made up of black, Asian or ethnic minority recruits.

The MoD aims to boost this figure to about 20 per cent in the coming years.

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