Liberal Democrat MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, Jamie Stone (pictured), has called on the Government to properly resource the armed forces in their work to combat coronavirus.
It has emerged that 13,000 British troops are currently absent due to the pandemic; this means that 9.1% of the UK military is off work with illness or needing to self-isolate.
At present, there are 100 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the armed forces.
Commenting on the figures, Mr Stone said:
“News that 13,000 armed force personnel are currently absent due to the pandemic is deeply concerning.
“They have been crucial to our response to the pandemic, providing specialists to local resilience groups, our local authorities, and emergency services.
“Our armed forces must have all the PPE they need and access to testing if they are to effectively combat coronavirus.
“It is not enough to say thank you.
“The Government must act.”
