THE Ministry of Defence was last night accused of imposing a "truth blackout" on the deployment of Westcountry troops in the run-up to the general election.

Conservative shadow defence secretary Liam Fox condemned the decision to restrict British journalists' access to military operations in Afghanistan.

The move is designed to avoid accusations that the armed forces are being used for political purposes.

It could limit the amount of information released about the efforts of the Taunton-based 40 Commando who are scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan next month.

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Some 670 Royal Marines – including 40 reservists – will be sent out to the war-torn Helmand region with an attached company of Gurkhas, about 100 people, from 1 Royal Gurkhas Regiment (1 RGR) who will also be under the command of Lt Col Paul James, 40 Cdo's commanding officer.

While in Helmand, 40 Commando will work to provide security operations. The unit will be working closely with both the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police.

But yesterday it emerged that journalists will be barred from being "embedded" with troops on the front line, while senior officers would not be allowed to give public speeches or talk to reporters for the duration of the campaign.

Mr Fox criticised the move at a time when UK troops were involved in Operation Moshtarak against the Taliban insurgents. He said he would table an emergency question in Parliament demanding an explanation.

"There is clearly one rule for Gordon Brown, when he wants to use the armed forces as political props, and another for reporters who want to tell the public what is being done in their name," he said.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "During the period between an election being called and taking place, communications activity across government is restricted in order to be fair to all political parties.

"Rules are issued by the Cabinet Secretary and this has been the case for many years. It is acceptable during purdah to continue to provide factual information. The MoD recognises that it is vital to continue to tell the public about the efforts and achievements of our forces in Afghanistan during this period and has agreed principles with the Cabinet Office that allow this.

"These principles are set out in a document that has been sent to MoD staff and will be issued formally once the election is called. These principles are being briefed to defence correspondents at a meeting next week."

The civil servant who oversees Government communications, Matt Tee, insisted there was no "gag" planned.

"There must be no question of any Government communications being construed as favouring any political party, and it is standard practice that public servants, including military officers, are asked to refrain from providing views or opinions to the media during this period," he said.