Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson last night said he was “repulsed” by an Iraqi refugee’s admission that he helped arrange hundreds of fake abuse claims against British soldiers.

Whistleblower Basim Al-Sadoon told a national newspaper that he had an office in Basra, Iraq, that allegedly handled made up claims from locals against the British Army in a bid to win compensation from the Ministry of Defence in British courts.

Mr Al-Sadoon, 37, described the scam as a “racket”, and he told The Sun: “It was like a claims factory and it didn’t matter if the claims were true or false.” He reportedly talked about how clients sourced paperwork that wasn’t real, and accused soldiers who weren’t even present.

Boasting of connections in Iraq, he said a vast number of his 300 clients made up allegations in a bit to earn money. “Word spread and they would come to me. It was all about money - people exaggerating sometimes what they see,” he said.

One example he chose to highlight was a claim he was bringing about concerning himself which was inspired by an incident involving Danish troops.