Soldiers who used photo of Jeremy Corbyn for target practice disciplined but not sacked, MoD says

Behaviour was ‘not fitting of high standards we expect’, Ministry of Defence admits

A group of British soldiers filmed using a picture of Jeremy Corbyn for target practice have been allowed to remain in the army, the Ministry of Defence said.

The four servicemen who fired practice rounds at the photo, along with the colleague who filmed it, have been disciplined but not sacked. It is understood two of them have been demoted.

Although the Ministry of Defence has chosen not to sack the men, it admitted the behaviour was “not fitting of the high standards we expect”.

Labour welcomed the action, calling the soldiers’ behaviour “clearly unacceptable” and part of a “culture of political violence” in the UK.

Mr Corbyn said he was “shocked” by the footage when it first circulated online in April and called for an investigation into the incident.

The video, which first emerged on Snapchat, showed members of the 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment at a base in Kabul, Afghanistan, firing at a picture of the Labour leader with the caption “Happy with that”.

The servicemen were widely criticised by politicians on both the left and right-wing of British politics over the footage.

Tom Tugendhat, a Conservative MP who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, said the incident was “disgraceful”.

Dan Jarvis, a Labour MP who served as a paratrooper before working in politics, described the video as “shameful and utterly unacceptable”.

In response to the disciplinary action, a Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: “The army has carried out a thorough investigation into this incident and has implemented disciplinary action against the individuals found guilty of misconduct. This behaviour was not fitting of the high standards we expect of our personnel, and we are always prepared to take action when our procedures are not adhered to correctly.”

A Labour spokesperson said it was right for the army to take action. “A culture of political violence has been whipped up by some politicians and sections of the media, and has to stop,” they added. “Breaches of impartiality of public institutions are a matter of concern for our democracy.”