Outdated rules preventing potential recruits joining the armed forces will be scrapped under Labour plans to end a manpower crisis.
Shadow Defence Secretary John Healey will put a stop to regulations banning beards and tattoos.
And he will reform rules preventing people from joining if they suffer from asthma, high blood pressure or poor circulation. The new focus will be on helping people get fit rather than turning them away.
Mr Healey said: “When the Government is failing to meet its recruitment targets, there’s something seriously flawed in the system.
“We will have to overhaul that. This will be a first priority for a new Government, as part of trying to make sure our forces are fit to fight in the future.”
I’m not entirely sure what there is to be said about this. Will they be issuing inhalers on the front line? Or blood pressure tablets? Yes, there’s a problem but that is a consequence of alienating the people who would meet the requirements. You know, fit, young, white men. Spend years denigrating the kind of people you want to risk their lives for king and country and a recruitment failure is exactly what you will get. As for beards and tattoos, the navy sport these. The army is more into moustaches. But even so, someone who really wants to join wouldn’t have any issue about those as they are trivial matters. A government that hates you, less so.
I thought you could have tattoos in the army as long as they not (too) visible?
I’d like to see a beard wearing guy (or women nowadays, you can’t be discriminatory) in an NBC environment trying to wear a respirator. That is one reason why the Army insists you shave daily as the stubble breaks the seal around the respirator, allowing you to breathe all that health giving nerve gas and other equally nasty chemicals.
But better dead than offended, eh?
Beards are fashionable now but when I joined the RAF in 1966 the fashion was for long hair (Beatles, Rolling Stones etc.) One of the first things that happened to new recruits was a visit to the camp barber for very short back and sides. I don’t recall there being a shortage of willing volunteers back then.
Anyway, why can’t the beardy tattooed men and women be directed towards the Navy. Beards and tattoos are almost compulsory there, aren’t they? 🙂