The average settlement paid out by the Ministry of Defence for bullying, harassment and discrimination claims has more than doubled since 2020, new figures have revealed.

The average compensation payout made by the MoD for these types of claims reached £235,564 in 2022/23.

Only a few years earlier, in 2020/21, the figure was £100,527.

The number of settlements has also increased by more than 100%, from five to 12 in the same time frame.

Earlier this month it emerged that 60 senior women had complained of a “hostile” and “toxic” environment at the government department, which is responsible for the UK’s armed forces.

And it comes just a day after Sky News detailed the “toxic culture” of sleaze and bullying within the RAF’s elite flying squad, the Red Arrows.

Young female pilots were treated like “fresh meat”, and one claimed she was plied with alcohol by a senior member of the squad, while others said they were harassed for sex.

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Although an investigation was launched, the victims claimed the air force misled the public by telling parliament that none of the allegations heard by the inquiry team met a criminal threshold.

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‘Shocking’ data

Labour called the newly released settlement data “shocking” and has urged ministers to “root out” unacceptable behaviour in the department and armed forces.

The figures were obtained by shadow defence minister Maria Eagle, following a written parliamentary question.

She said: “That both the number of settlement payments and the average payout has more than doubled in just two years lays bare the MoD’s problems with bullying, harassment and discrimination.

“Ministers must lead from the top to root out unacceptable behaviour in the MoD and the armed forces. Labour in government will legislate to establish an Armed Forces Commissioner to act as a strong independent voice to improve the lives of serving personnel and their families.”

A Ministry of Defence spokeswoman said: “We do not tolerate abuse, bullying or discrimination of any kind, which is why we have introduced many changes to improve the experience for everyone across defence, including improvements to reporting mechanisms, diversity and inclusion training, and increased access to support.

Read more: Teenage soldier killed herself after ‘sexual harassment’

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“We actively encourage any personnel who believe they have experienced or witnessed unacceptable behaviour to report it.

“All allegations of unacceptable behaviour are taken extremely seriously and are thoroughly investigated. If proven, swift action will be taken.”

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