The British army has announced it wants to relax security checks for new recruits from overseas in a bid to boost diversity and inclusion in the armed forces.

Recruitment targets have been consistently missed by the British armed forces with ethnic minorities making up just 14 per cent of the regular army.

A leaked document seen by the Telegraph, titled The British Army’s Race Action Plan, suggests the army “struggles to attract talent from ethnic minority backgrounds into the officer corps”.

The document is understood to represent the latest guidance and suggests that security clearance vetting is “the primary barrier to non-UK personnel gaining a commission in the Army”.

Former head of MI6 Sir Richard Dearlove said: “The evidence published today in The Telegraph, which apparently prioritises diversity, equality, and inclusion in matters of national security, is very worrying indeed.

“Effective security policies at whatever level they are applied simply do not allow for ‘politically correct’ soft edges.

“The fighting capability of our armed forces, already hollowed out as the Defence Select Committee recently documented, must not be further compromised by the over-application of DEI ideology. We are living in a world where the threat of war is getting closer.

“We give succour to our enemies if the concentration on the creation of an effective warrior mentality is not the primary objective of our navy, army and airforce.”

Following the findings, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps ordered a major review of diversity and inclusion policies in the armed forces.