Portsmouth MP under fire for armed forces fatal accident record

The Portsmouth North MP was quizzed by Romsford’s Tory MP Andrew Rosindell over what action was being taken by the government to cut the number of fatalities during training or exercises.

It comes as a figures revealed the number of UK armed forces personnel to die during training or on exercise since 2000 hit 125.

Responding to the concerns, Ms Mordaunt said a number of safeguards were in place to minimise risk, from additional supervision to internal and external safety inspections.

The minister explained: ‘Deaths in training are rare.

‘We do, however, take our duty of care to our personnel very seriously.

‘Risk is inherent in many activities carried out by the armed forces, from adventurous training to training exercises and operations.

‘This is especially true where activities involve weapon systems, vehicles or strenuous physical activity.

‘This risk is rendered as low as reasonably practicable during training by ensuring that its design and delivery are subject to strict safety procedures and rigorous risk analysis.’