AboutJohnny Mercer

“Fighting in the Afghanistan war, I was fed up of politicians who said one thing and did another when it came to looking after our Service personnel and veterans. I’d never voted before, and knew nothing about local politics. But I knew that Plymothians deserved better than another stuffed shirt representing their party in Plymouth instead of representing Plymouth in Westminster.

I was given no chance of winning – my Party had never won my seat before. But I bought a van, printed up leaflets and – with my brilliant  wife – knocked on every door in our City to win the seat in 2015. Having built my majority further at two successive elections in 2017 and 2019, I now have the largest majority of any politician from any party has ever had in my seat.

How? Because I put you first. The people of Plymouth who do me the honour of voting for me are my number one inspiration for all of my campaigning.  I love Plymouth; I’ve been in the area for twenty years now. I have three young children, and I’m determined to make this the best City in the UK to live, work and raise a family.”

Starting off his professional life Johnny served 13 years in the UK Commandos, serving from the tactical to the strategic level throughout a career across the globe, including multiple combat operations at the height of the Afghanistan conflict.

Unwilling to accept the UK’s treatment of his generation of military veterans, Johnny stood as a Member of Parliament in 2015, despite having never voted before. Working on building sites he self-funded a campaign that saw him win his seat having been given a less than 1% chance by the bookies.

His maiden speech to the House of Commons was acclaimed around the world and marked the start of his Parliamentary career. He served on both the Defence and Health Select Committees, chairing inquiries into historical prosecutions of servicemen and women and the misuse of prescription drugs, before campaigning for and subsequently creating the UK’s first Office for Veterans Affairs under Prime Minister Boris Johnson in 2019.

Johnny was sacked from Government in April 2021 after refusing to pass legislation that did not protect Northern Ireland veterans from repeated and vexatious prosecutions from the troubles. Campaigning for these veterans both in London and Belfast, he has ensured that this historical injustice has been corrected with the Northern Ireland Troubles Act 2023.

In July 2022, Johnny was appointed Minister for Veterans Affairs. This established the UK’s first position in Cabinet representing veterans, putting our country in line with peer nations such as USA and Australia in how they prioritise veterans care. He was sworn into the privy council and is now the Rt Hon Johnny Mercer MP.

As of October 2022 the role has been re-affirmed with Johnny in position and tasked with, among other things, the roll out of the veterans’ ID card, nuclear test medals and ending veteran rough sleeping. Under the instruction of the Prime Minister, he has also taken control of resettling Afghans under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP).