The British Army is turning away more than 200 would-be recruits a day, even as it continues to miss its annual recruitment targets — a pattern that has persisted every year since 2010.
New figures show that nearly 74,000 people who applied to join the Army were rejected in 2024-25, an increase of around 20,000 compared with the previous year.
Medical issues accounted for the largest share of failed applications, with more than 32,000 candidates ruled out for conditions such as psoriasis, diabetes or severe food allergies. A further 360 applicants were rejected because of tattoos or piercings.
Applications from Commonwealth nations also made up a significant proportion of rejections, with 22,000 candidates turned down because of rules capping foreign recruitment at 1,350 people a year.
The Army’s annual recruitment requirement is understood to be about 11,000 personnel — the approximate number needed each year to replace service members leaving the armed forces.
The shortage comes as Russian threats towards the UK intensify, following revelations that British drones were used in attacks by Ukraine.
The size of the British Army is at its smallest since the Napoleonic era, with just 75,000 full-time trained soldiers.
In the 2023-24 financial year, the army failed to reach its target of 10,450 troops by nearly 4,000.
The British Army is rejecting more than 200 applicants every day. (File image of UK troops training in Romania)
The government’s strategic defence review, published in June last year, advised increasing personnel to 76,000 when funding is possible.
Shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge said Britain requires a government ‘willing to commit to funding more recruits right now’.
He also accused the Labour Party of kicking the plans for higher personnel numbers ‘into the long grass’.
‘With Russia ramping up its threats every day, Labour needs to be growing the armed forces and strengthening our deterrence,’ he added.
Applicants are still being rejected for tattoos and piercings, despite the army relaxing its rules on tattoos more than 10 years ago.
Tattoos on the head and face are still considered ‘unacceptable’, while ink portraying ‘sex acts, violence or illegal drugs’ and piercings which ‘change the way you look’ are also not allowed.
It comes amid claims that Russia is poised to attack Britain – and has singled out a drone factory and a missile company as ‘legal targets’.
A senior adviser to Vladimir Putin warned that the ‘highest levels of the Russian government’ were considering a ‘hybrid attack’, such as sabotage or arson, rather than an ‘outright military strike’ that would unleash a response from Nato.
In an exclusive interview with The Mail on Sunday, Andrei Fedorov, a former deputy foreign minister of Russia, described the UK as ‘evil number one’.
Among the Kremlin’s targets is a drone factory owned by a British-Ukrainian firm, Ukrspecsystems.
On Saturday night, Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said: ‘The reckless rhetoric and attempts at intimidation we have seen from the Kremlin in recent weeks reflects the weakness of Putin’s position and we will not be intimidated.
‘This has been a bad year for Putin. The front line has barely moved. Russian casualties continue to mount. The Russian people are paying a heavy price for Putin’s war.
‘It is also in our national interest that Putin’s aggression must not be rewarded. The Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary and I are working together to mobilise support for Ukraine ahead of winter.’
An MoD spokesperson said: ‘The UK will always defend itself against any threat.
‘The Army is always recruiting, offering a wide range of challenging and rewarding opportunities.
‘We are modernising and improving recruitment to attract the best possible talent. These efforts are working – intake to the regular Armed Forces has increased by 13 per cent compared to the last 12 months and we have more people now joining than leaving the forces at a tri-service level for the first time in four years.’