British soldiers 'taking guns and boots from dead Iraqi fighters'

Miss Great Britain Gemma Garrett, who is campaigning to rid politics of sleaze, said that a British war veteran that she met had made the claims on Thursday morning.

"While I was out campaigning in Crewe, I met a veteran of the Iraq war and was utterly sickened by the experiences he described," she said.

"Whether you believe the wars our troops are fighting are right or not, these men and women deserve far better treatment than they currently get."

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said that it was simply ludicrous to suggest that there is any truth to these allegations.

"There is no shortage of personal kit or body armour in either Iraq or Afghanistan," he said.

But the soldier, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: "We are not supposed to talk about this.

"After I killed one Iraqi, I stole his boots because mine were knackered."

He added that he was not the only one taking such action and that soldiers would take dead Iraqis' guns because British-issued SA80 rifles were notorious for jamming in the desert.