ARMED forces morale is in freefall, Labour has claimed, after an internal survey showed that in the past two years since the Coalition came to power confidence across the three services has fallen significantly, particularly among officers.
The poll, by the Defence Analytical Services and Advice agency, revealed that across the Army, Royal Navy and RAF, low morale between 2010 and 2012 rose 17 points to 50%, while high morale fell 10 points to 15%. Across the three services, low morale among officers leapt 28 points to 60%, while among other ranks it rose 15 points to 48%. The largest rise in low morale was among officers in the Army, where it soared 38 points to 63%.
Last night Jim Murphy, the Shadow Defence Secretary, described the figures as a "real worry" and a "terrible reflection of this government's defence policy". He said: "A vital benchmark of success is our forces' morale and yet it has been damaged and dented by David Cameron and Philip Hammond.
"A botched review and cuts to vital support have made our forces feel under-valued and over-stretched. Cutting the Army by 20,000 while we have so many of our forces serving in Afghanistan is a real blow."
Coalition defence minister Peter Luff said: "We are nearing the end of a very difficult period in defence and hope to see morale slowly recovering over the next couple of years."
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