The commander of British troops in southern Iraq yesterday became the latest senior military figure to condemn the poor treatment of UK forces.

Major-General Richard Shirreff said that troops embroiled in the Iraqi campaign needed more support from both politicians and the public.

He said that the underfunding of training, infrastructure and living conditions had to be improved urgently. “The nation needs to understand that the quality work done by these courageous men and women out here only happens and can only continue if these people, our soldiers, are properly supported back home.”

Ministers and senior Whitehall officials are disturbed by the recent spate of public criticism by a succession of experienced officers and the effects it may have on morale.

General Shirreff’s outspoken remarks come just days after Admiral Sir Alan West, the former head of the Royal Navy, gave warning that Britain’s Armed Forces are at risk of being reduced to a “gendarmerie” incapable of defending the country’s interests. This month General Sir Mike Jackson, the former head of the Army, criticised the forces’ low pay and described their accommodation as “frankly shaming.”

In his interview with BBC News 24 yesterday, General Shirreff said that the covenant between the country and its service personnel was “seriously out of kilter”.

Last night the MoD played down any suggestion of unrest among the senior military. It said: “We value the expertise of our commanders and we are all working together to best support our troops.”

Seven British servicemen were injured yesterday when a roadside bomb exploded north of Basra.

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