Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Veterans and People

Last updated
United Kingdom
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Veterans and People
Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government) (2022).svg
Alistair Carns official portrait 2024.jpg
Incumbent
Alistair Carns
since 8 July 2024
Ministry of Defence
Style Veterans Minister
(informal)
Type Minister of the Crown
Status Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
Reports to Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Seat Westminster
NominatorPrime Minister
Appointer The Monarch
(on the advice of the Prime Minister)
Term length At His Majesty's pleasure
Formation
  • July 1989:
    (as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence)
  • July 2022:
    (as Minister of State for Veterans' Affairs)
  • July 2024:
    (as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Veterans)
First holder Earl of Arran
(as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence)
Website Official website

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Veterans and People is a ministerial position in the Ministry of Defence in British government, currently held by Alistair Carns. From 2022 to 2024, the role was Minister of State for Veterans' Affairs in Cabinet Office and the minister attended the Cabinet. [1]

Contents

History

It was formerly known as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence from 1989 to 2005 and as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence Veterans, Reserves and Personnel under Tobias Ellwood.[ citation needed ]

Johnny Mercer was appointed minister in July 2019 to the new government by incoming Prime Minister Boris Johnson. On 20 April 2021, Mercer was "sacked by text" after offering to resign at the end of Wednesday 21 April, but refusing to go earlier. [2] In a tweet, Mercer said he was "relieved of [his] responsibilities in Government" because of his disagreements with the scope of the proposed Overseas Operations Bill. [3] [4] This new government law is designed to protect veterans from unfounded prosecutions. However, Mercer said it was a "red line" for him that British soldiers who served in Northern Ireland are excluded. [5] [6]

On 7 July 2024, after the 2024 United Kingdom General Election Mercer criticised Sir Keir Starmer’s new Labour government for failing to appoint a new Minister of State for Veterans' Affairs at the same time as the rest of his cabinet. He said; "You will note already that, despite his explicit personal promises in the election campaign, Keir Starmer has not appointed a veterans minister to his cabinet", adding, "If you understand what veterans need from their Government, this matters very much". [7]

Alistair Carns was appointed Minister for Veterans on 9 July 2024; the position is now that of a parliamentary under-secretary of state, the most junior level of minister. [8] [9]

Responsibilities

The minister has the following ministerial responsibilities: [10]

List of ministers

NamePortraitEntered officeLeft officePolitical partyPrime Minister
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence
The Earl of Arran Official portrait of The Earl of Arran crop 2.jpg 25 July 198926 July 1990 Conservative Margaret Thatcher
Kenneth Carlisle October 1990March 1992 Conservative John Major
The Earl of Arran Official portrait of The Earl of Arran crop 2.jpg 28 November 199015 April 1992 Conservative John Major
Viscount Cranborne Robert Gascoyne-Cecil 2013-crop.jpg 22 April 199220 July 1994 Conservative John Major
The Lord Henley Official portrait of Lord Henley 2020 crop 2.jpg 20 July 19945 July 1995 Conservative John Major
The Earl Howe Official portrait of Earl Howe 2020 crop 2.jpg 5 July 19952 May 1997 Conservative John Major
John Spellar Official portrait of John Spellar crop 2.jpg 6 May 199728 July 1999 Labour Tony Blair
Peter Kilfoyle 28 July 199930 January 2000 Labour Tony Blair
Lewis Moonie 31 January 200113 June 2003 Labour Tony Blair
Ivor Caplin 13 June 200311 May 2005 Labour Tony Blair
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Veterans
Don Touhig Official portrait of Lord Touhig crop 2, 2019.jpg 11 May 20055 May 2006 Labour Tony Blair
Tom Watson Portrait of Tom Watson in 2018.jpg 5 May 20066 September 2006 Labour Tony Blair
Derek Twigg Official portrait of Derek Twigg crop 2.jpg 6 September 20065 October 2008 Labour
Kevan Jones Official portrait of Mr Kevan Jones crop 2.jpg 5 October 200811 May 2010 Labour Gordon Brown
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Welfare and Veterans
Andrew Robathan Official portrait of Lord Robathan 2020 crop 2.jpg 13 May 20104 September 2012 Conservative David Cameron
Minister of State for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans
Mark Francois Official portrait of Rt Hon Mark Francois MP crop 2.jpg 4 September 20127 October 2013 Conservative David Cameron
Anna Soubry Official portrait of Anna Soubry crop 2.jpg 7 October 201311 May 2015 Conservative David Cameron
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence Veterans, Reserves and Personnel
Mark Lancaster Official portrait of Mark Lancaster crop 2.jpg 12 May 201513 June 2017 Conservative
Tobias Ellwood Official portrait of Tobias Ellwood, 2022 (cropped).jpg 14 June 201726 July 2019 Conservative Theresa May
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence People and Veterans
Johnny Mercer Official portrait of Johnny Mercer (cropped).jpg 28 July 201920 April 2021 Conservative Boris Johnson
Leo Docherty Official portrait of Leo Docherty MP crop 2.jpg 20 April 20217 July 2022 Conservative Boris Johnson
Minister of State for Veterans' Affairs
Johnny Mercer Official portrait of Johnny Mercer (cropped).jpg 7 July 20226 September 2022 [11] Conservative Boris Johnson
25 October 20225 July 2024 Rishi Sunak
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Veterans and People
Alistair Carns Alistair Carns official portrait 2024.jpg 9 July 2024Incumbent Labour Keir Starmer

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References

  1. "Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Defence People and Veterans)". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 2022-07-16.
  2. "Johnny Mercer: Sacked minister attacks 'distrustful' government". BBC News. 2021-04-21. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  3. "Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill - Parliamentary Bills - UK Parliament". bills.parliament.uk. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  4. Johnny Mercer [@JohnnyMercerUK] (April 20, 2021). "I'm sorry to have been relieved of my responsibilities in Government tonight" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  5. "Johnny Mercer: Tory MP resigns as defence minister". BBC News. 20 April 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  6. "Defence minister Johnny Mercer resigns from government". The Guardian. 20 April 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  7. Sheridan, Danielle (July 7, 2024). "Starmer criticised for faliure to appoint veterans minister". The Telegraph. Retrieved July 8, 2024 via MSN.
  8. Zeffman, Henry. "Starmer makes five new Labour MPs ministers - instantly". BBC News. Retrieved 2024-07-09.
  9. "Ministerial Appointments: July 2024". GOV.UK. Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street. Retrieved 18 July 2024. Alistair Carns MP as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Ministry of Defence (Minister for Veterans)
  10. "Minister of State (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 2022-07-16.
  11. "Johnny Mercer twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2022-09-06.