Johnny Mercer accuses Labour opponent Fred Thomas of lying about military service

The Veterans' Minister Johnny Mercer has accused his Labour opponent of lying about his military service.

Mr Mercer, an ex-Army captain turned government minister, is the Conservative candidate for Plymouth Moor View.

During a hustings event in the city, Mr Mercer was filmed accusing Fred Thomas - the Labour Party's parliamentary candidate for the constituency - of lying about the nature of his service.

Mr Thomas is a former Royal Marine and says he is "proud" to have served his country for seven years, rising to the rank of Captain.

The Labour Party told ITV News he remains "unable to discuss" much of his service due to the "highly sensitive and recent nature" of his role.

In a clip from the hustings, shared by the Labour Party, Mr Mercer says: "This man has claimed he has led troops in combat. He never has.

"I was a minister in the department, he never has. If he's going to lie about that, what else is he going to lie about?

"I respect everyone's service, particularly in this city, but you do not lie about it."

Labour has criticised his comments, with shadow defence secretary John Healey urging Mr Mercer to "do the right thing" and "withdraw his deeply disrespectful remarks".

Mr Healey said: "The Commanding Officer of the Special Forces Support Group wrote of Fred’s integrity and his character. Those words will not have been penned lightly."

In a statement, Fred Thomas said: “I am proud of having served my country for seven years, including overseas on operations.

"I remain unable to discuss much of my service, something which Johnny Mercer – as a former Defence Minister – is keenly aware of."

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Mr Mercer described the hustings as "one of the most unpleasant experiences I’ve had in public life".

Following the event, he said in a statement: "I have always deeply respected everybody’s service, irrespective of what they did and when."

He said that serving "in combat" has "a special meaning and carries "special responsibilities", adding: “That you would lie about this I find utterly bewildering.

"I don’t dispute that Fred Thomas served in the Royal Marines or indeed conducted one operational tour where he found himself in “challenging environments”; on the contrary, I respect his service.

“But I will never allow those who seek to bloat their military records off the back of us who did actually fight, to disrespect that sacrifice and bravery in this way - I don’t care who you are. He should resign immediately.”

The Plymouth Moor View constituency is a Labour target for the general election, with Mr Mercer trying to defend a 2019 majority of 12,897.

Sarah Martin is standing for the Liberal Democrats, Shaun Hooper for Reform UK, and Georgia Nelson for the Green Party.

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