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UK defence chiefs have backed transgender people serving in the armed forces after President Donald Trump announced they are to be banned from the US military.

In a series of posts on Twitter, Mr Trump said he had taken the decision because US forces "cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail".

His comments were opposed by Rear Admiral Alex Burton, Commander UK Maritime Forces, who tweeted: "As a Royal Navy LGBT champion and senior warfighter I am so glad we are not going this way."

He added: "We have a justifiably rigorous selection process but it doesn't include discrimination and we're a better fighting force for it."

Second Sea Lord Vice Admiral Jonathan Woodcock said on Twitter he was "proud" of the Royal Navy's transgender personnel.

"They bring diversity to our Royal Navy and I will always support their desire to serve their country," he added.

"I suspect many who doubt the abilities of our diverse service personnel might be more reluctant to serve than they are to comment."

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said it did not comment on "US military recruitment policy".

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But the spokesman added: "We are clear that all LGBT+ members of our armed forces play a vital role in keeping our nation safe.

"We will continue to welcome people from a diverse range of backgrounds, including transgender personnel."

The MoD said it was unable to confirm how many transgender people served in the UK military.