In response to instructions purportedly pledging to “challenge SC [security clearance] requirements” in order to promote diversity and inclusivity inside the British Army, Grant Shapps declared himself “ready to go to battle”.
The Sunday Telegraph claims that because the UK’s armed forces have repeatedly fallen short of their recruitment goals, they are turning abroad to increase the presence of ethnic minorities in their ranks.
The British Army’s Race Action Plan, which identifies security checks as “the primary barrier to non-UK personnel gaining a commission in the Army” and specifies a number of “actions” to enhance representation, was viewed by the publication.
According to reports, the guidelines pledge to “challenge SC [security clearance] requirements” in order to boost the number of people in officer corps and intelligence positions—roles that have “uncontrolled access to secret assets”—and other related fields.
According to the Telegraph, Grant Shapps was “ready to go to battle” and “furious” over the results.
He stated to the newspaper: “There will certainly not be any lowering of security clearance requirements on my watch.”
The defence secretary revealed he had ordered a “root-and-branch review of ethnicity, diversity, and inclusivity policies in defence” in a statement later on Sunday afternoon.
He continued, saying, “We need a common set of values that will provide the military we need to defend us and our friends, not time and money wasted on a political agenda that divides people against one another.
