He said he was concerned that the make-up of the military did not reflect wider society and that more should be done to attract and retain women.
Paula Edwards, the chief executive of Salute Her UK, a charity for female military personnel who have experienced sexual assault and rape, said: “The women who access Salute Her UK are fearful that the Defence Secretary’s crack down on wokeness will mean that the policies that have been put in place to protect them will cease to exist.
“The military will become an even more toxic and insidious place for women to serve.”
Ms Edwards called on the military to do more “to understand why young people are not joining the military”.
“I would argue that one of the deterrents to joining is maybe the large amounts of reported sexual assault and rape cases,” she said.
Sarah Atherton, the MP who oversaw the 2021 report which examined the levels of sexual assault and harassment in the military, said she welcomed a review of the diversity and inclusion policies in order to make sure “they are not counter productive”.
Her report found that almost 60 per cent of serving female military personnel have been subject to bullying, harassment or discrimination.
Ms Atherton said diversity and inclusion policies were valuable in a modern workforce, so long as they were “making things safer for women” and other minorities.
“At the end of the day, the military is there to protect the country and has to be operationally effective,” she said.
“Anything that promotes a safe environment is a good thing.”
A source close to Mr Shapps said: “The Secretary of State is determined to improve working conditions for everyone in the Armed Forces.
“He believes everybody should be respected, encouraged in their careers and he abhors bullying. He values everyone who is willing to put themselves forward to serve this country and wants to recruit more women to the services, as he has said before.
“The review is very much about the woke culture and extremist political correctness which actually devalues the efforts to improve service people’s lives.”
An MoD spokesman said: “We are absolutely committed to stamping out inappropriate sexual behaviour and no one should be made to feel unsafe in our Armed Forces. This work is a priority for the department and is continuing. The review announced this weekend is completely separate and focused on ensuring that time and resources are not being squandered on unnecessary initiatives.”
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
