One can question the propriety of General Sir Richard Dannatt speaking out about serviceman’s pay in The Sun but it is hard to disagree with him.
“You look to see how much a traffic warden is paid and compare that against what a private soldier gets paid.
“If you compare a police constable on overtime, I think you will find that an individual serviceman gets quite a lot less.”
A soldier’s starting salary is £12,572 a year, rising to £15,677 as a Level 1 private. A traffic warden’s basic pay is £17,000.
Dannatt is also right that Britain urgently needs to spend more on the military. If we wish to remain a frontline nation, then we are going to have to significantly increase the defence budget.
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