Nia Griffith MP, Labour’s Shadow Defence Secretary, responding to the publication of the Armed Forces Quarterly Service Personnel Statistics, said:

“These figures represent a shocking failure by the Government to recruit and retain the Armed Forces personnel that our country requires.

“Just last year the Conservatives made a clear manifesto promise to maintain the overall size of the Armed Forces but today’s figures reveal that this commitment is not worth the paper it was written on.

“At a time when we face growing challenges to our national security, it is simply not acceptable that this crisis in recruitment and retention is being allowed to grow.

“It is time for the Government to take urgent and decisive action to get Forces numbers back on track. This should include overhauling the MoD’s disastrous recruitment contract with Capita which is clearly failing to deliver any of the benefits that were promised.”