Terry Kemple is a retired GP in Bristol and a past President of the RCGP. He has had various roles promoting greater sustainability in general practice.
‘People need Government to work and not be like a reality TV show.’ Johnny Mercer wants better people to go into politics but his own experience working in government had been truly awful.
The usual recipe of a political memoir combines the story of a political life with private experiences. Authors explain their role in events and sharpen their reputation. Mercer focuses on his motivations, his efforts to achieve his explicit agenda, his ‘red lines’ about acceptable behaviour, his self-deprecation, his lack of knowledge about many of the other political issues of the time, and his outspoken manner. He writes in an engaging, conversational storytelling style that brings to life his experiences as an MP and government minister.
His previous memoir We Were Warriors recounts his difficult childhood, his struggles with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and his army service including three tours in Afghanistan. After his army career and with no knowledge of politics he decided to try to be a local MP because he had an agenda to improve the lives of veterans of the armed services and their families, improve services for mental health, and generally improve life for Plymothians. Against all predictions he overcame a Labour majority and was elected as a Conservative MP in Plymouth. At the end of that memoir he had just made his maiden speech in Parliament. This follow-on memoir chronicles his political life as an MP from 2015 to 2024. It spanned the turbulent period that included Brexit, the Covid pandemic, five prime ministers, the lonely pursuit of his agenda, and his elevations and sackings as a minister for veterans. It reads like an honest account of his time in Parliament, asking ‘What happened?’ and ‘What was it like for him?’, and his resulting ‘What did he learn?’ soul searching.
“After his army career and with no knowledge of politics [Mercer] decided to try to be a local MP because he had an agenda to improve the lives of veterans of the armed services and their families …”
His starting motivation was the lack of support for veterans when they returned home. He knew that many of them came home with appalling physical and mental health issues without sufficient support from the government who had sent them to fight. In 2012 more of them died from suicide than in conflicts.
He was a ‘stone in the shoe’ of government in his demands for better care of veterans, saying ‘I did it my way and didn’t make any friends.’
He credits and names his heroes and those he felt were trustworthy and helpful. Some of these names may surprise readers. He describes the gaps between what his colleagues say and what actually happens inside government. He reports misdeeds but does not usually name the culprits.
“[Mercer’s] starting motivation was the lack of support for veterans when they returned home. He knew that many of them came home with appalling physical and mental health issues without sufficient support from the government who had sent them to fight.”
One of his strongest criticisms is that ‘no one tells the truth’.
A difficult issue he had not anticipated was protecting veterans from vexatious litigation while actively seeking the prosecution of real cases of abuse by service personnel. Litigation included allegations about military service personnel in Northern Ireland, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
Vexatious litigation was dubbed ‘lawfare’ with the reopening of previously settled cases from 50 years ago in Northern Ireland, and a large-scale fraud relating to seeking out untrue reports of cases in Iraq. The real cases of criminality are still being examined. In 2022, the government established an independent inquiry to investigate matters arising from the deployment of British Special Forces to Afghanistan between mid-2010 and mid-2013. In 2026 this inquiry continues.
“[Mercer’s] insider story is about what it feels like to try to change the outcome of politics when the machinery of politics is broken. He felt people became MPs either because they wanted to do something or to be someone. He wants more MPs who want to do something.”
He felt he was good at being a campaigner and insurgent but not so good at being a minister. As time went on, he became increasingly appalled and disillusioned by the way government worked. He says many of his colleagues enjoyed ‘Rubber necking at a pile up on the other side of the motorway that was his political career.’
His insider story is about what it feels like to try to change the outcome of politics when the machinery of politics is broken. He felt people became MPs either because they wanted to do something or to be someone. He wants more MPs who want to do something.
Despite his frustrations and disappointments, he did achieve some of what he set out to do. He helped change expectations about the support that veterans should receive after leaving the armed forces.
Featured book: Johnny Mercer, No Way to Run a Country: An Outsider’s Journey into the Heart of Our Broken Politics, Macmillan, 2026, HB, 400pp, £25.00, 978-1037407468
