British Army lifts ban on serving soldiers having beards

LONDON: Soldiers and officers are now allowed to grow beards while serving in the British Army.

The beards and moustaches must be neat, properly groomed and will be routinely checked.

The policy comes into immediate effect as the Army becomes the last of the armed forces to allow its personnel to grow beards.

The new directive follows years of discussion around the Army’s policy on facial hair.

The change follows a review into the Army’s policy on the appearance of its personnel which lasted several months, an Army spokesman told the BBC.

Army leadership then looked at the findings before deciding to change the policy.

“We have listened to our people and acted,” the spokesman said.

There may be specific occasions where the personnel are required to be clean-shaven, the Army said, and officers and soldiers will be “directed to shave as and when circumstances dictate”.

It is thought that Army leaders hope the new policy will help attract new recruits among a generation of young men who are choosing to sport facial hair in greater numbers than in recent decades. Several foreign armies, such as those of Denmark, Germany, and Belgium, allow troops to grow a beard.