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A member of Rishi Sunak’s cabinet has faced allegations of “significant ineptitude” due to their failure to rectify the parliamentary record for four years, despite previously admitting to misleading parliament.
Johnny Mercer, the minister for veterans, has admitted to giving incorrect information to the House of Commons in January 2020 while discussing accusations of war crimes committed by British special forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.
However, even after stating his intention to fix the legislative record in August 2020, Mr. Mercer has not yet done so.
Kevan Jones, a Member of Parliament for the Labour Party, has sent a letter to Simon Case, the cabinet secretary, accusing Mr. Mercer of violating the ministerial code.
On Wednesday, Johnny Mercer, the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, gave further testimony during the inquiry (Peter Byrne/PA).
He stated in a letter acquired by The Independent that he requests an investigation into the ongoing violation of the Ministerial Code, an explanation for why the error has not been rectified, and a plan for addressing the issue.
The former head of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, Sir Alistair Graham, stated to The Independent that Mr Mercer was responsible for “disappointing the House of Commons”.
Sir Alistair stated that the speaker should criticize him instead of excusing his major incompetence.
He stated, “In the House of Commons, it is built upon reliance on the word of ministers, that their statements are accurate.”
“If individuals make a promise but fail to follow through, it damages the credibility of the political system.”
In the January 2020 discussion, prompted by a Panorama investigation that revealed accusations of British troops participating in the killing of civilians in Afghanistan and Iraq under the direction of the government and armed forces, the former defence minister Mr Mercer informed members of parliament: “There have been claims made by a few individuals who were employed on the investigative teams.”
However, during his testimony and written submission to the Independent Inquiry on the Afghanistan issue last month, Mr. Mercer acknowledged that he had unintentionally given false information to MPs when he recited statements that he later discovered were inaccurate.
In a letter from August 2020 that was included as evidence in the inquiry, Mr. Mercer expressed to his former superior, Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, that he had been given permission to read statements to the House of Commons that he knew certain individuals in key positions within the department had known to be inaccurate, which he found to be entirely unacceptable.
John Mercer expressed that working with Ben Wallace in the Ministry of Defence was challenging, as it often put him in uncomfortable situations.
“These complaints were not simply raised by a few members of the investigations team, but were widespread. I have consistently downplayed these accusations in the public eye as a means of showing support for UKSF1 and the department.”
“That was an obvious error.”
Unable to reword.
As of September 2020, Mr. Mercer has not made the necessary corrections to the record, and it has been over three and a half years since the error occurred.
The ministerial guidelines emphasize the significance of providing parliament with accurate and truthful information. In addition, they require ministers to promptly rectify any unintentional mistakes.
In a statement posted on X in February, Mr Mercer said: “I am an elected politician who serves the public. I am not an appointed official and my position relies on my reputation and my ability to sustain public confidence in my character.”
Mr Jones, who is a member of the defence committee in parliament, expressed his great admiration for individuals like Mr Mercer who have bravely served in Afghanistan and Iraq in a letter addressed to Mr Case.
He stated that Mr. Mercer, being a former member of our Armed Forces, understands the expectations set by our military and the significance of upholding them.
“It is with this in mind, that I would ask the Department why Mr Mercer, with due respect to Parliament, as prescribed under the Ministerial Code, did not correct the record at the first opportunity in September 2020, and has yet to do so in the three and half years since.
”
Mr Mercer has stated that he knowingly may have unintentionally given false information to Parliament and as a result, has violated the Ministerial Code.
“Please conduct an investigation regarding the ongoing violation of the Ministerial Code, explain why the records have not been corrected yet, and specify the steps that will be taken in response.”
In February, Mr Mercer expressed frustration towards Mr Wallace upon finding out that UK special forces were aware of the allegations of Afghan death squads before he publicly denied their existence in the House of Commons.
During his testimony for the investigation, he recounted his experience working under Mr. Wallace as “extremely challenging,” stating, “I did not find it enjoyable and it forced me into several extremely uncomfortable situations.”
The investigation will scrutinize if a military group, identified as UKSF1, had a directive to eliminate males of “combat age” without posing a danger in Afghanistan from 2010 to 2013.
Families from Afghanistan have alleged that British special forces are responsible for a series of killings of innocent civilians, with higher-ranking officials and personnel at the Ministry of Defence trying to impede proper investigations.
Contact has been made with Mr. Mercer for further clarification.
The article can be found on independent.co.uk.
The piece is available on independent.co.uk.
