Profile: Johnny Mercer, Conservative party member of parliament for Plymouth Moor View

Gung-ho Iraq and Afghanistan veteran turned Tory politician Johnny Mercer has made a platform for himself defending the actions of former British army soldiers. Last week, he was in Belfast to support 80-year-old Dennis Hutchings on trial in connection with the fatal shooting in 1974 of John Pat Cunningham, a man with learning difficulties

Johnny Mercer, former British minister for military veterans’ affairs. Illustration: Peter Hanan

In Brief

Name: Johnny Mercer

Age: 40

Appearance: Trim, grinning Tory

Newsworthiness: The former British minister for military veterans’ affairs has gone on something of a solo run, which took him to Belfast last week

In Depth

Last week, Johnny Mercer, the Conservative party member of parliament for Plymouth Moor View, took to Twitter to let his followers know he would soon be travelling to Belfast.

The reason, as any of his social media followers ...