The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has admitted that “some mistakes were made” following reports of a recruitment drive that favoured women and ethnic minorities.
In August, allegations emerged that the Royal Air Force’s (RAF) recruiting chief refused to follow an order to prioritise such candidates over white men because she believed it was “illegal”.
The group captain told her boss she was not prepared to allocate places on training courses based solely on a specific gender or ethnicity, according to a leaked message seen by Sky News at the time.
While overall standards did not drop, in retrospect we accept that, despite the best intentions, some mistakes were made.
Spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense
Asked about the allegations, Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston, head of the RAF, told the broadcaster earlier this month: “There was absolutely no drop in operational standards, no drop in any standards.
“There was no discrimination against any group, there was no lowering of standards, there was no discrimination against any group.”
Now a MoD spokesman has acknowledged that “despite the best intentions, some mistakes were made” in its approach.
In a statement on Monday, they said: “The RAF is constantly reviewing its recruitment practices, including the introduction earlier this year of a new recruitment IT system, to improve the diversity of its workforce.
“While overall standards did not decline, in retrospect we accept that, despite the best intentions, some mistakes were made.
“The RAF is now confident that our approach is correct, however we are investigating some processes and decisions taken in the past so it would not be appropriate to comment further while this is ongoing.”
The Ministry of Defence has said that general recruitment is always a top priority for the RAF, not just female or ethnic minority recruitment, and insisted that it remains committed to recruiting fairly and non-discriminatorily while maintaining high standards.
The service has also come under scrutiny following allegations made against the Red Arrows.
The Times reported in August that members of the Red Arrows were being investigated over allegations of misogyny, bullying and sexual harassment.
The paper later reported that the aerobatic display team was subjected to “unacceptable behaviour and active spectator training” after more than 40 staff members, including young recruits, testified against the team during an investigation.
