The head of the Royal Air Force (RAF) has said there was “no discrimination against any group” after reports of a recruitment drive which favoured women and ethnic minorities.
In August claims emerged that the RAF’s head of recruitment refused to follow an order to prioritise women and ethnic minority candidates over white men because she believed it was “unlawful”.
The group captain told her boss she was not willing to allocate slots on training courses based purely on a specific gender or ethnicity, according to a leaked message seen by Sky News.
Asked about the allegations, Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston, head of the RAF, told the broadcaster: “There was absolutely no drop in operational standards, no drop in any standards.
We will continue to examine our practices, we will do everything we can to recruit from the widest pool of talent— Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston
“There was no discrimination against any group, no standards were dropped, there was no discrimination against any group.
“I’m here to talk about the Royal Air Force’s phenomenal record of operational delivery from the north of Norway through to the Mediterranean and defending Nato airspace, defending our allies, we’re in the Middle East tackling threats to our security from the pernicious, violent extremists.
“And no approach to recruiting, or any measures that we’ve taken to recruit from the widest pool of talent in the UK workforce, has in any way detracted from our operational standards and our operational service.”
He added: “We’ve been very clear where we stand. We will continue to examine our practices, we will do everything we can to recruit from the widest pool of talent.
“We will be very clear about how we approach any attempts to widen that pool of talent, widen our diversity, and we will continue to protect the nation, we will secure our skies and patrol our seas.”
The service has also been under scrutiny after 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 newspaper later reported that the aerobatic display team received “unacceptable behaviours and active bystander training” after more than 40 personnel, including young female recruits, gave evidence against the team to an inquiry.
