MoD Pays £5m On Bullying, Harassment And Discrimination Claims In Two Years
3 min read
The Ministry of Defence has spent almost £5m settling bullying, harassment and discrimination claims over the last two years.
The culture of the MOD has faced intense scrutiny in recent years due to a series of high-profile cases of alleged bullying and sexual harassment.
In March, CSW reported that the department was setting up a Violence Against Women and Girls Taskforce, led by veterans minister Alistair Carns, in a bid to “drive cultural improvements”.
Speaking at the time, the minister said he was “personally committed” to making sure that the government does everything it can to “root out unacceptable behaviour and ensure that the Armed Forces is a place where everyone can thrive”.
However, the union representing civil servants said the figures obtained by PoliticsHome show there "has not been enough urgency" to address the department's cultural problems.
A Freedom of Information request has revealed that the MoD spent over £3.9m on successful common law claims and nearly £1m on successful claims at the tribunal level against the department between 2023/24 and 2024/25.
There have been 43 successful claims against the department during that period; 21 in 2023/24 and 22 in 2024/25.
“Unfortunately, these figures come as no surprise," Jane Runeckles, national officer at the FDA, told PoliticsHome.
"While we continue to work hard with MOD to address bullying, harassment and discrimination in the department, there has not been enough urgency displayed to address the long-recognised but deep-seated challenges."
The figures show that the total amount of compensation paid out by the MoD at the tribunal level increased from £273,336 in 2023/24 to £701,499 in 24/25.
The amount paid out at the common law level fell from around £2.187m in 2023–2024 to £1.771m in 2024-2025, however.
While in opposition, Labour’s shadow defence team told PoliticsHome that “ministers must lead from the top” to root out unacceptable behaviour in the department.
An MoD spokesperson told PoliticsHome: "There is no place for bullying, harassment, discrimination or abuse within defence and we have a range of support available to stamp out such behaviour.
“This includes ways in which staff can raise complaints confidentially and training and advice on appropriate behaviours at work.
“Compensation is only provided after a rigorous assessment and review to ensure value for the taxpayer.”
Tan Dhesi, Labour MP for Slough, and Chair of the Defence Committee, said, “while it is difficult to interpret the figures themselves without extra context, bullying, harassment and discrimination have absolutely no place in the MoD".
"The government must make every effort to root out unacceptable behaviours," he said.
Calvin Bailey, Labour MP for Leyton and Wanstead, and a former wing commander, said the military must reform to make it easier to remove "toxic" characters.
He told PoliticsHome: "The armed forces need to react and recognise this. If they don’t, people will keep inflicting damage on the military."
Sue Ferns OBE, Senior Deputy General Secretary of Prospect, said the figures are "indicative of a culture in MoD which has not yet been addressed two years on from Prospect revealing the true extent of the problem of sexual harassment in defence".
She told PoliticsHome: “At the start of 2024, our survey revealed that 60 per cent of women working in MoD or its agencies had experienced sexual harassment, compared to 47 per cent in private sector defence. After a follow up survey revealed little had changed we wrote to defence minister Alistair Carns asking for an inquiry into the issue.
“The MOD should be leading the way in changing the culture in defence. Prospect and other unions are ready to work with the department on its own internal culture to make this goal a reality.”
