The Ministry of Defence has been accused of ordering a “truth blackout” over the war in Afghanistan amid warnings it is attempting to “bury bad news” during the election campaign.

British journalists and TV crews are to be banned from the Afghan front line once a date for the election has been set, while senior officers will be prohibited from making public speeches and talking to reporters.

MoD websites will also be “cleansed” of any “non-factual” material including anything containing troops’ opinions of the war, according to a memo leaked to The Daily Telegraph.

The edict comes as Gordon Brown was accused of using British troops as “political props” by visiting Afghanistan the day after giving evidence to the Chilcot inquiry into the Iraq War.

The war in Afghanistan is likely to be a sensitive political issue in the election campaign.

Last night the MoD confirmed a British soldier, from A Company 4 Rifles, was killed in a fire-fight yesterday bringing the total deaths since the conflict began to 271.

The Prime Minister has been repeatedly accused by former military chiefs of denying soldiers vital equipment.

In the memo, Nick Gurr, the MoD’s director of media and communications, says “embeds” for all British news broadcasters and national journalists will be prohibited during the campaign, expected to begin later this month.

Embeds, where the reporter lives in a military unit or base, are the only safe way to cover the fighting. Foreign and local journalists will, however, be continue to be granted such access, the memo says.

The MoD ruling comes despite the fact that up to 4,000 British troops - and a further 10,000 Americans and Afghans - are in the middle of the UK’s largest full-scale combat operation for seven years.

Operation Moshtarak, which aims to clear Taliban strongholds, is now in its fourth week and is soon to enter a new phase which could see significant British casualties. The only information provided on the operations during the election, however, will be through MoD briefings in Whitehall.

Government departments traditionally curtail their activities during an election campaign, a period known as “purdah”.

But there is no precedent for journalists being excluded from the battlefront for such a long period during operations of such significance. In the run-up to previous election campaigns, British military activity was at a relatively low ebb.

The prohibition on public speeches by senior officers is likely to be seen as a response to the increasing outspokenness of military chiefs, something also not seen in previous pre-election periods.

Beginning with the then head of the Army, General Sir Richard Dannatt, in 2006, senior personnel have openly pointed out the tension between the work the Armed Forces are expected to do and the resources provided to carry it out.

Mr Gurr says that allowing journalists to report from the frontline during the election “could call into question [the forces’] political impartiality or give rise to the criticism that public resources are being used for party political purposes.”

But the order has led to accusations that the government wants to hide the true picture of the war in Afghanistan from voters.

Liam Fox, the shadow defence secretary, said he would table an emergency question in the House of Commons demanding an explanation on Monday.

“Given the recent visit of the Prime Minister, this is a bad joke,” he said. “There is clearly one rule for Gordon Brown, when he wants to use the armed forces as political props, and another for reporters who want to tell the public what is being done in their name.

“It’s a truth blackout. Nothing, especially the truth, is to stand in the way in Brown’s election. Our armed forces can fight and die, but not write or speak. Any critics of the Government are to be banned from having any contact with the press. This is the grotesque endgame of New Labour. They want to bury bad news and bury the truth.”

Colonel Douglas Young, chairman of the British Armed Forces Federation, expressed “surprise” at the decision.

“It didn’t happen in 1945 - there was no question of limiting reporting at that time simply because an election was happening and I don’t see why there should be any questions of that now. Are we to stop operations during this period? Obviously not, and if operations are in process they should be reported upon in the normal way.

“It is ridiculous to expect the forces to be hiding away just because there’s a general election.”

Cdr John Muxworthy, chief executive of the UK National Defence Association, said: “To put a situation in place where the press is effectively going to be gagged, so it is not going to possible for people to see the real news from the front line, is incredible.

“Afghanistan is not a political issue - it’s a matter of national importance,” he added.

Col Richard Kemp, former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, said: “It is wrong to gag the media, which is what this is. This is a critical campaign and the public have a right to be told what is happening.

“It is also wrong to prevent senior officers speaking.”

Gordon Brown has received considerable personal criticism for the way he funded the Armed Forces during his time as Chancellor.

Former chiefs directly contradicted the Prime Minister’s claim at the Chilcot inquiry that the Forces had been given everything they asked for.

Lieutenant-General Sir Graeme Lamb, former director of special forces, told The Daily Telegraph last week that the Armed Forces were “doomed” and were “clearly in decline,” while General Lord Guthrie, former chief of the defence staff, said that Mr Brown had been “disingenuous”.

Mr Gurr’s memo, written last week, is entitled “Purdah - Key Principles for Defence Communicators.”

It details a string of steps the MoD is taking to minimise the chance of embarrassing disclosures. Information on MoD and armed forces websites, it says, must be “cleansed.” Offical blogs and websites must “report factual information only”.

Even internal MoD and service journals, Mr Gurr says, must be “submitted for approval before publication” with “controversial issues avoided” because “these get into the public domain.”

An MoD spokesman said: “During the period between an election being called and taking place, communications activity across government is considerably constrained by the need to be fair to all political parties.

“The MOD recognises that it is vital to continue to tell the public about the efforts and achievements of our forces in Afghanistan during this period and has agreed principles with the Cabinet Office that allow this.”

Source: Telegraph.co.uk, March 07 2010
By Andrew Gilligan