Gavin Williamson is thought to be considering an anthrax vaccination for thousands of troops

Britain has drawn up plans to vaccinate thousands of troops against anthrax to be better prepared to respond in the event of a war with North Korea or a terrorist attack at home.

Gavin Williamson, the defence secretary, is understood to be considering the introduction of an anthrax vaccination programme for all service personnel on short notice to mobilise, Whitehall sources say.

This would include 16 Air Assault Brigade, 3 Commando Brigade and all other “high readiness” units of soldiers and Royal Marines. “It is something that has gone through the planning phase and the secretary of state is seriously looking at it,” one source said.

A factor driving the thinking is the possibility of war between the US and North Korea if efforts to