More people left British military than joined last year, official figures show

Poor housing

Labour analysis also found that the number of military homes branded “non-decent”, the worst rating given by the Ministry of Defence, has risen to 2,000.

This means more than four per cent of all military homes are now rated non-decent, the highest number and proportion since 2017.

The homes in question are likely to fail to meet statutory minimum housing standards while lacking “reasonably modern” services and facilities.

A third of all military personnel are thought to be living in the lowest quality of defence accommodation, with Labour warning of “broken boilers, black mould, leaky roofs and endless waits for repairs”.

The Conservative Party is pushing security and defence as a major issue ahead of next month’s general election, with Rishi Sunak arguing only his government can protect Britain in a “more dangerous world”.

Labour has responded by branding itself the “party of Nato” and insisting it has changed significantly since 2019 when Sir Keir Starmer’s predecessor Jeremy Corbyn refused to rule out scrapping Trident, Britain’s nuclear defence system.

Sir Keir has declined to match Mr Sunak’s pledge to spend 2.5 per cent of GDP on defence by 2030, insisting a Labour government will reach the same figure but only when the economic circumstances allow.