Five transgender members of the US military are taking President Donald Trump and his armed forces chiefs to court over his announcement last month that transgender people would not be allowed to serve in the military “in any capacity.”

The five unnamed individuals filed the suit in Washington DC on Wednesday, claiming that Mr Trump’s declaration discriminates against the troops “based on their sex and transgender status,” violating due process and equal protection under the Fifth Amendment.

It adds that the “directive to exclude transgender people from military service is arbitrary and capricious and lacks any rational basis.”

Mr Trump announced on July 26 in a series of tweets that he was banning transgender personnel from the armed forces.