Johnny Mercer

Johnny Mercer served in the British army for twelve years. A captain in 29 Commando, he was deployed on three tours of Afghanistan, and weathered some of the heaviest fighting of the campaign, as depicted in his first book We Were Warriors. He left the army in December 2013 with the aim of becoming an MP, in the hope he could improve care for armed forces veterans. He was elected Conservative MP for Plymouth Moor View in May 2015 and became the first Minister for Veterans Affairs. He lost his seat in 2024.