Johnny Mercer was first elected as the Conservative MP for Plymouth Moor View in 2015 being reelected in 2019 with a majority of 12,897.
The Devon constituency of Plymouth Moor View covers the northern part of the City of Plymouth including the districts of Budshead, Ham, Moor View, St Budeaux, and Southway. The boundaries of this seat were first created in 2010 and this seat was won by Labour in 2010. Gained narrowly by the Conservative Party in 2015, the Conservatives have performed well in this constituency in recent years, increasing their percentage of the vote considerably from 37% in 2015 to 52% in 2017 and 61% in 2019.
In July 2022, after announcing his resignation, Boris Johnson appointed Johnny Mercer to a new post in the Cabinet as Minister of Veteran Affairs. Mr Mercer was reappointed to the role by Rishi Sunak in October 2022.
Before that, Mr Mercer had been dismissed from the position by Liz Truss on the day that she became prime minister. This prompted Mr Mercer’s wife to suggest on Twitter that Mr Mercer was the best person for the role, and that he had been sacked by an ‘imbecile’. Mr Mercer was actively critical of Liz Truss during her 49 days in post.
Mercer had served as Under Secretary of State for Defence People and Veterans between 2019 and 2021.
Born in 1981, Mercer worked briefly in the City before graduating from the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst in 2002. He joined the Army, and served from the tactical to the strategic level throughout a 12 year army career where he rose to the rank of Captain.
He was involved in three combat tours of Afghanistan where he was attached to a Special Forces unit. He was also a co-ordinator of artillery and air strikes in support of ground operations.
He was selected as the Conservative candidate for this seat just a couple of months after leaving the army.
Mercer is the author of ‘We Were Warriors: One Soldier’s Story of Brutal Combat’, a memoir of his upbringing and army service, especially his time in Afghanistan
Mercer has been heavily critical of prosecutions of former army soldiers who served in Northern Ireland and Afghanistan. Aside from his interest in veterans issues, Mercer is also a supporter of greater direct democracy.
Mercer supported Remain in the 2016 EU referendum, and backed Boris Johnson in the 2019 Conservative Party leadership election.
Mercer is married with three children. He employs his wife as his Principal Secretary.
Email: johnny.mercer.mp@parliament.uk
Personal Website: http://johnnyforplymouth.com/
Twitter: twitter.com/johnnymercer81
Facebook Page: facebook.com/JohnnyForPlymouth
