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Acne and asthma sufferers to be cleared to join army

Soldiers from B company 2nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland at sunset as they take part in Exercise Askari Storm on the outskirts of Nanyuki, KenyaImage source, PA Media
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People with asthma or severe acne will no longer be banned from joining Britain鈥檚 armed forces, Defence Secretary John Healey has said.

Healey said he wanted to scrap "outdated policies" that block people from joining the army to end a recruitment crisis.

In a speech to Labour鈥檚 annual conference, he also announced plans to get computer gamers to join a new cyber defence effort.

鈥淚f you are a top gamer - your country needs you,鈥 Healey told Labour activists in Liverpool.

Labour claims the British Army is at its smallest size in 200 years.

It says a 6% pay increase announced in July will boost recruitment - but it also wants to speed up the process and scrap "outdated" restrictions.

Anyone wanting to join the army has to . People with heart problems, back problems, hearing or vision problems, among other things, will struggle to make the grade.

But a range of other conditions can also affect candidates鈥 chances of being accepted.

鈥淐andidates with acne that may affect the ability to wear military clothing or to operate military equipment should normally be graded UNFIT, or entry should be deferred until the disease has been successfully treated,鈥 says a Ministry of Defence .

, the army says: "Generally speaking, if you require treatment for asthma you will not be eligible. If you have had treatment in the past, then it will depend how long ago that was, how old you were at the time, what your symptoms were, and how much and how long you needed treatment for."

The rules on asthma - and all medical conditions - are regularly updated and are often considered on a case-by-case basis during the appeals process, it adds.

Over the past five years, 鈥渕edical reasons鈥 have become the main reason for rejection in the British Army, with a total of 76,187 applicants disqualified on these grounds.

Healey is also keen to recruit gamers to the army's ranks, that hours spent playing Call of Duty could prove useful to a new cyber defence initiative.

鈥淲e are short of drone pilots,鈥 the defence secretary said.

鈥淵ou can see the changing nature of warfare in Ukraine, where the combination of artillery and drones is responsible for the large majority of all the casualties.

鈥淭he sort of skills that drone pilots have are many of the same skills as some of our best console warriors are okay [at] in civilian life.鈥

According to , there were 74,296 members of the regular Army 鈥 down from 79,330 in October 2019.

The previous government relaxed restrictions on beards and facial hair in an effort to boost recruitment.

In a speech to the Labour conference on Monday, Healey said Labour would "always maintain the highest standards.

"We will create an Armed Forces that draws the very best of British talent. Better fit to fight. Better reflecting the country they defend."