Army chief General Dannatt 'to go early after snub over promotion'

The outspoken head of the British Army is expected to retire early after being passed over for the top post of Chief of the Defence Staff, insiders have claimed.

General Sir Richard Dannatt has enormous respect from rankand-file soldiers for speaking his mind publicly on the massive strains facing the armed forces.

But according to senior military sources, his bold statements have soured relations with Labour ministers since his appointment two years ago.

Any hopes of making the final leap to become Britain's most senior commander - in charge of all three services - have been dashed. As a result there is talk that Sir Richard might retire early, which would at least pave the way for another Army man to get the job.

The job of Chief of the Defence Staff is a political appointment which must be backed by the Prime Minister. Sir Richard's prospects were effectively ended recently when ministers suddenly announced that Air Chief Marshall Sir Jock Stirrup, the current head of the armed forces, is to stay on in the post for an extra two years.

Normally each of the three single service chiefs and the overall Chief of the Defence Staff serves for around three years, with one of the three chiefs then chosen to move into the top job.

Sir Jock took up the top post as CDS in April 2006, four months before Sir Richard took charge of the Army. This left Sir Richard well placed to be a contender to succeed him as CDS.

But with Sir Jock now expected to serve an unusually long five-year term, Sir Richard and his counterparts in the other two services - Admiral Sir Jonathan Band and Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Torpy - have effectively been snubbed. They are all due to retire in 2009, long before the top job becomes vacant.

Now another high-flying Army General, David Richards, is seen as a likely successor.

Insiders believe Sir Richard may decide to step down before the end of this year, to allow General Richards the best chance to position himself to succeed Sir Jock in 2011.

One senior Army source said: 'With the Army bearing the brunt in Afghanistan we badly need a soldier in overall charge again - someone who understands the problems down in the trenches.

'If it's not going to be Richard Dannatt than David Richards is a very good man and Dannatt knows that. If Dannatt thinks it will benefit the Army in the long term he may well step aside.

'I think there's an element of his wanting to take control of his own destiny and go at the time of his own choosing.'

Although MoD officials insist Sir Richard's relationships with Labour ministers soon settled down, Army insiders claim they never recovered enough for him to be a serious contender for Chief of the Defence Staff.

Tory defence spokesman Liam Fox said: 'If his outspoken views in defence of his own troops are used to curtail his military career it would be characteristic of petty, vindictive, small-minded politics, and quite alien to the ethos of the military.

'Put simply, it would be a national scandal.'

Conservative MP and former infantry commander Patrick Mercer said: 'In Richard Dannatt the Army has one of the few senior officers who is prepared to show the same courage within the MoD as he showed on operations earlier in his career. His early departure would be a grave blow for the Army.'