The News has hit back at claims that “incorrect press reports” have led to an influx of former servicemen claiming for campaign medals.

The Portsmouth paper, whose Last Chance for Justice campaign calls for the creation of a specific campaign medal for veterans of the Arctic Convoys in World War II, has made an official complaint after a Government website criticised press coverage of the Arctic medal issue.

A section on the Ministry of Defence’s Veteran Agency website said the MoD had “received a large volume of correspondence as a result of incorrect press reports”.

Editor of The News Mike Gilson said: “It is clear that this site is being entirely used for propaganda purposes to attack the just medal claims of veterans.

“They are doing this with tax payers money and basically misleading the public as well as being completely partial.

“The problem is that the reasons given by the MoD for not awarding a medal are completely ridiculous and based on civil service dogma.

“It’s also ludicrous for the MoD to claim it is unable to present its side of the story. We repeatedly ask the Ministry for comments.”

The MoD website said: “Most people who feel strongly enough about these matters to write directly to the MoD, or to their constituency MPs, only know about these subjects from articles that they read in the newspapers, or see mentioned on the television.

“The reality is often very different from the story presented by the media, which is, after all, written with the primary intention of selling the news. The MoD is often unable to present its side of the story.”

Now The News has written to the head of the civil service, Sir Andrew Turnbull, to complain about what it sees as civil service impartiality being abandoned.

Civil servants are supposed to remain neutral and follow the wishes of the elected ministers, but The News says the website shows that has been completely ignored.