Tory leader David Cameron announced at his party’s conference last month that Gen Dannatt would act as an adviser and could become a defence minister in the Lords following the next election
Liberal Democrat Lord Razzall asked defence minister Baroness Taylor of Bolton: “Do you think it appropriate for a senior officer who is still being paid to be paraded in this way by a political party?
“Do you agree that to ensure that senior officers are not seen as party political it would be better for there to be a significant gap before the Chief of the General Staff after his resignation joins a political party?
“And would you agree that after a change of Government, if that were to happen, General Dannatt’s replacement as CGS would be placed in an impossible position if his advice to the Prime Minister is countermanded by his immediate predecessor?”
Lady Taylor said the Queen’s Regulations give “some very clear guidance on what should happen in terms of members of the armed forces who are seeking to participate in politics”.
She said: “It is possible to be a member of a party and not active. There are also rules about leaving service and taking paid employment.”
