MoD urgently recalls 120,000 pieces of military body armour after cracks found

Exclusive: Armour was supposed to be replaced in 2023 but that was delayed by four years under previous government

Ministers have issued an emergency recall of 120,000 body armour plates used by the British military, amid accusations from Labour that the Conservatives failed to safely renew basic protection for troops during their time in office.

Testing discovered microscopic cracks in ageing enhanced combat body armour (ECBA) which was supposed to be swapped out in 2023, but whose replacement was delayed by four years to make savings by the previous government.