A former SAS commander has sparked controversy by comparing Irish Guardsmen assembled outside Downing Street to “unarmed Teletubbies”.
Eleven soldiers in scarlet tunics and traditional black bearskin hats formed a guard of honour on Wednesday as Prime Minister Andy Burnham welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Retired Lieutenant Colonel Richard Williams said the photograph represented “a picture of decline”, describing the Guards as “pseudo soldiers used as decorations” in “ill-fitting playground uniforms”.
In a scathing post on X, in which he called the image “awful”, Williams wrote: “The very opposite of martial excellence and so far from the hard steel and war-won standards of the past.
“No wonder IRGC [Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] finds it easy to roam free around the UK…”
In a second post, Williams, who commanded 22 SAS, compared the modern photograph with an image of the late Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother inspecting the Irish Guards at Old Chelsea Barracks on St Patrick’s Day in 1928.
A former SAS commander accused the Irish Guards of looking like “unarmed Teletubbies” as they stood outside Downing Street on Wednesday
Eleven soldiers in scarlet tunics and black bearskin hats formed a guard of honour for Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s welcome to President Zelensky
Former SAS commander Richard Williams launched a scathing criticism of the soldiers’ physical condition
He accompanied the historical photograph with a brief caption: “The way it was…”
Irish Guards commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Ben Irwin-Clark responded forcefully to the criticism. Speaking to The Sun, he said: “Those of you writing negative comments about the regiment need to give your heads a wobble.”
The dispute comes as the head of the Army warned that Britain must be prepared to make sacrifices to protect the country.
Earlier this week, General Sir “Roly” Walker, the Chief of the General Staff, said the UK’s response to emerging threats would be outlined in a “frank discussion” between political leaders and the public.
Sir Roly was speaking to 700 newly qualified troops at Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire when he offered a rare insight into preparations for the possibility of direct conflict.
He praised the recruits and urged people across the UK to understand what may be required to ensure Britain is ready for such an eventuality.
“You didn’t know this but our nation is going to need you,” he said. “There was a time when our nation did not want to think of a time when it would need its soldiers to fight in a war.
“Indeed, very soon, the political leaders of this country will start to have a frank conversation with the citizens of this country about just what is going on and where the risk lies.
“They are going to try and explain to our citizens that our citizens have got to consent to sacrifices to prioritise defence and security.
“And then they are going to ask those citizens, to whom we are not necessarily at the front of their mind, that they too need to play a part in the defence and security of this country.”
Richard Williams, who commanded 22 SAS, criticised the Irish Guards on X and described them as the “very opposite of martial excellence”
Williams compared today’s ranks with a photograph of the late Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother inspecting the Irish Guards at the Old Chelsea Barracks on St Patrick’s Day 1928
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His intervention came as Labour is expected to continue investing 2.7 per cent of GDP for the remainder of the decade into the armed forces – despite calls for spending to reach 3.0 per cent by 2030.
The UK has until 2035 to meet the Nato defence spending benchmark of 3.5 per cent – which will require additional funding of around £25billion per year.
The Daily Mail has led calls for the armed forces to receive a spending boost as part of the paper’s Don’t Leave Britain Defenceless campaign.
Wes Streeting also vowed in July that he would follow his predecessor, John Healey, and quit as Defence Secretary if Labour does not increase military spending ‘as a matter of principle’.