A SPECIAL Forces candidate said to be among the “most impressive” an officer has seen is calling for a change in tight medical restrictions after he was rejected over a nut allergy.

The cadet, who does not wish to be named, was rejected in October 2017 after declaring an allergy to peanuts.

He passed a series of selection tests, with his interviewing officer describing him as “amongst the most impressive candidates I have dealt with in my eight years at the assessment centre,” but fell at the last hurdle due to his medical condition.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has strict medical conditions and states any applicant with a “severe allergic reactions or anaphylaxis requiring adrenaline injection” and “severe nut allergy” will be rejected.

Now the applicant, who is living in Andover, has launched a campaign for the MoD to reconsider its strict medical requirements, in bid to drive decision makers to change their policy on allergies.

He said: “At 28-years-old, I have eaten over 30,000 meals without any reaction.

“I do test positive to a particular food, but it is only in a tightly controlled skin-prick test. That’s 245,000 hours of controlling my own allergy and being alert. I not only manage my allergy, but also thrive regardless. Discipline is a core army value.

“The army has stated to me that I can’t join with a food allergy because they can’t guarantee my safety.

“This dietary discrimination seems trivial as I am volunteering for combat at the highest level.”

The recruit as also managed his allergy during his time spent Kung Fu training at a martial arts academy in China, trekking through the Indian Himalayas, training continuously in the Scottish Highlands to prepare for selection.

He has provided multiple examples of evidence to support his appeal, stating that his allergies did not affect his numerous years with Cadets and the Military Intelligence Reserves.

His Right to Fight campaign is appealing for similar stories from other reject recruits to put pressure on decision makers to review the restrictions he says are “unrealistic and far too strict”.

“I totally believe that my personal attributes can far outweigh any doubts for clearing me for service in the world’s most professional army, and I believe there are many other potential soldiers who are in the same position as me. I would urge them to come forward today,” he added.

Despite the bar the recruit has said that he hopes to one day be able to join the Armed Forces, and continues his training.

In 2017, the ex-minister of state for the armed forces Mark Francois wrote a report on the state of recruiting for the armed forces , noting that 14,000 potential recruits had been rejected over “medical restrictions”, and with the army 5,000 short the cadet has said that these could be found from the refused candidates.

A MoD spokesperson said that the government department was aware of the Right to Fight campaign.

They added: “Given the unique and challenging roles within our armed forces, it is right that we have high medical standards to ensure that recruits can fulfil the demands of the job.

“These standards are regularly reviewed and updated, and each application is considered on a case-by-case basis.”