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Patrick Mercer
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Patrick Mercer
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Colonel Patrick John Mercer OBE (born 26 June 1956) is a British author and former politician.[1] He was elected as a Conservative in the 2001 general election, until resigning the party's parliamentary whip in May 2013 following questions surrounding paid advocacy, and was an Independent MP representing the constituency of Newark in Parliament until his resignation at the end of April 2014 when a Standards Committee report recommended suspending him for six months for "sustained and pervasive breach of the house's rules".[2] He was Conservative shadow homeland security minister from 2003 to 2007, when David Cameron forced him to resign after he had made remarks about racism which Cameron found unacceptable.[3]

Key Information

Mercer is a frequent commentator on defence and security issues, having served as a colonel in the British Army and as a BBC journalist. He has to date written four military novels and is a patron of the Victoria Cross Trust.[4]

Early life and education

[edit]

Born in Stockport in Cheshire in 1956, Mercer is the son of Eric Mercer, who became Bishop of Exeter. His mother was born in Lincolnshire and his father was trained for the priesthood at Kelham Theological College near Newark.[5]

Mercer was educated at The King's School, Chester,[6] and Exeter College, Oxford, where he read history. He was later commissioned after training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.[7] Whilst there, he was one of a number of cadets interviewed for an edition of the BBC's Panorama programme.[8]

British Army career

[edit]

Mercer followed his father, who saw wartime service in the Sherwood Foresters (Notts & Derby Regiment), into the British Army. He was commissioned into the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment on 8 March 1975 as a second lieutenant. His service number was 499748.[9] On 8 March 1977, he was promoted to lieutenant.[10] He was promoted to captain on 8 September 1981,[11] and to major on 30 September 1988.[12] On 30 June 1994, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel,[13] then to colonel on 30 June 1998.[14]

During his time in the Army, Mercer completed nine tours in Northern Ireland and latterly commanded his battalion in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada and Tidworth. Mercer served at both the Staff College, Camberley, and the Army's University at Cranfield.

Mercer was Mentioned in Despatches in 1983 for "gallant and distinguished service in Northern Ireland during the period 1 November 1982 to 31 January 1983".[15] He earned a gallantry commendation in 1990. He was made an MBE on 12 October 1993 "in recognition of distinguished service in Northern Ireland".[16] He was made an OBE on 13 May 1997 "in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in the former Yugoslavia during the period 21 June to 20 December 1996".[17] He left the Army in 1999 as a colonel, He retired from the army on 1 September 1999,[18] his last posting having been as head of communications and strategy at the Army Training and Recruiting Agency.[citation needed]

Journalism

[edit]

After leaving the Army, Mercer was a defence reporter for BBC Radio 4's Today programme.[19] He reported from trouble spots, including Kosovo.

On being selected as Conservative candidate in Newark, Mercer left the BBC and became a freelance journalist writing for The Daily Telegraph. He continued to contribute to radio, television, and print media, mainly on security and defence issues, and in The House magazine in 2009 his profession was stated as Journalist.[20]

Political career

[edit]

Parliament from 2001

[edit]

Mercer was first elected to Parliament as the member for Newark at the 2001 general election, defeating the Labour incumbent, Fiona Jones, overturning a majority of 3,000 and creating a majority of just over 4,000. In the Commons, he initially served as a back-bencher on the Defence Select Committee before becoming Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Shadow Secretary of State for Defence. Mercer backed Iain Duncan Smith over Kenneth Clarke in the 2001 Conservative leadership election. Subsequently, he was appointed to a newly created post of Shadow Minister for Homeland Security in June 2003 after Duncan Smith became Conservative leader.

In 2004 he introduced a Private Member's Bill in response to the publicity surrounding the case of Tony Martin that proposed to give householders greater powers when protecting their property from burglary.[21]

Mercer increased his majority in Newark to 6,464 at the 2005 general election.[22]

Parliament from 2005

[edit]

During the Conservative leadership contest which followed the 2005 election, Mercer publicly backed David Davis over David Cameron, Kenneth Clarke, and Liam Fox.[23]

Since 2005, he has repeatedly warned against the imposition of control orders as being 'counter productive'. Citing his experience of internment in Northern Ireland, as a serving soldier, he highlighted the danger of alienating populations needed for intelligence gathering.[24]

In March 2007, Mercer gave an interview to The Times in which he talked about "idle and useless" ethnic minority soldiers who had used racism as a "cover" and admitted that black soldiers in his regiment had been referred to as "black bastard" and "nigger".[3] Initially, the Conservative Party stated that the comments were a "private matter",[25] but soon David Cameron forced Mercer to resign as Shadow Minister for Homeland Security.[3] Mercer publicly apologised and said "I had the privilege to command soldiers from across the east Midlands, of whom many came from racial minorities. It was a matter of great pride to me that racial minorities prospered inside the unit. What I have said is clearly misjudged and I can only apologise if I have embarrassed in any way those fine men whom I commanded. I have no hesitation in resigning my front-bench appointment."[26] A black former corporal who had served with Mercer came to his defence, and the chairwoman of his Conservative Association said she was "extremely angry" that Mercer's comments had been taken out of context.[27][3]

In December 2008, Mercer was appointed as Chairman of the House of Commons Sub-Committee on Counter-Terrorism, to further his work as a member of the Home Affairs Select Committee.[citation needed]

In March 2009 Mercer volunteered for three days at a charity named Save the Family, learning and helping displaced families as part of a programme devised by Iain Duncan Smith.[28]

Parliament from 2010

[edit]

At the 2010 general election, Mercer more than doubled his majority to 16,152, to make Newark one of the safest Conservative seats in the country. In August 2010, based on intelligence from serving army officers, he warned that dissident Irish terror groups could be planning to attack the party conferences, including the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham.[29]

In May 2011, Mercer was appointed with Lord Ashcroft to review the future of the military bases in Cyprus.[30]

In August 2011, Mercer with his knowledge of Northern Ireland, led the calls for considering the use of water cannon and other robust police tactics to deal with the rioters during the 2011 England riots.[31] The next day David Cameron approved the use of water cannon after chairing a session of the Cabinet Office Briefing Room, Cobra.[32]

In October 2011, Mercer supported a failed bid by the Everyday Champions Church to open a free school in his constituency.[33] The bid was rejected because of concerns over the church's explicitly creationist stance.[34]

In November 2011, the press reported that Mercer had been taped making disparaging remarks about David Cameron, calling him "despicable" and describing him as an "arse" and "the worst politician in British history since William Gladstone". The same articles claimed he had predicted that Cameron would be ousted by Conservative MPs in early 2012. Mercer later denied making the comments.[35][36]

Resignation

[edit]

Mercer resigned the Conservative Party whip on 31 May 2013 following an investigation by The Daily Telegraph and BBC's Panorama caught him on camera accepting payment for lobbying.[37]

In June 2013, less than two weeks after Mercer had resigned the party whip, it was reported that in talking to an undercover reporter he had described a meeting with a young Israeli woman who said she was a soldier.[38] He told the reporter he had thought to himself "You don't look like a soldier to me. You look like a bloody Jew".[38] He then spoke to Jewish News and apologised unreservedly for any offence he had caused to the Jewish community by his "stupid remark".[39]

On 29 April 2014, after seeing a Commons Select Committee on Standards report into his conduct, due to be published on 1 May, calling for him to be barred from Parliament for six months, Mercer announced he would resign his seat.[40] He was appointed to the Chiltern Hundreds the next day, making his resignation effective.[41]

The Commons Standards Committee report on Mercer stated that its members were "not aware of a case relating to a sitting MP which has involved such a sustained and pervasive breach of the house's rules on registration, declaration and paid advocacy."[42] It stated that Mercer "had deliberately evaded the rules", including engaging in "paid advocacy" and failing to make "any serious attempt to identify his ultimate clients". He had also failed to register monies received properly; to deposit the contract he signed to provide services; and to declare a relevant interest when tabling parliamentary questions, tabling an early-day motion, making approaches to other MPs, and when speaking at a meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group. Mercer was also criticised for "repeatedly denigrating fellow Members both individually and collectively".[43]

The recommended period of suspension from the House of Commons was the second longest suspension since 1947. (Denis MacShane, later convicted of a criminal offence, was suspended for twelve months in 2012, and also resigned immediately as an MP.) One member voted to expel Mercer as an MP, and another wanted him suspended for eight months.[43]

A by-election for the vacant Newark seat was held on 5 June 2014.[44]

Publications

[edit]
  • Mercer, Patrick (1998). Inkerman, 1854: The Soldier's Battle. Osprey. ISBN 978-1-85532-618-7.
  • Mercer, Patrick (1998). Give Them A Volley And Charge!: Battle of Inkerman. Spellmount Publishers Ltd. ISBN 978-1-86227-025-1.
  • Mercer, Patrick (2009). To Do And Die. Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0-00-730278-9.
  • Mercer, Patrick (2010). Dust and Steel. Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0-00-730272-7.
  • Mercer, Patrick (2011). Red Runs the Helmand. Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0-00-730275-8.

References

[edit]
[edit]
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Patrick Mercer

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Patrick John Mercer OBE (born 26 June 1956) is a British retired army officer, author, and former Conservative politician who represented the constituency of Newark as a Member of Parliament from 2001 until his resignation in 2014. Mercer pursued a 25-year military career in the British Army, enlisting after studying modern history at the University of Exeter and attending the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, eventually rising to the rank of colonel in the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment (29th/45th), with command of a battalion during deployments to Northern Ireland, Bosnia, and other operational theaters. He received the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his service before leaving the army in 1999 to work as a defense correspondent and analyst. In , Mercer held positions including shadow minister for from 2003 to 2007 and contributed to debates on defense and counter-terrorism, drawing on his expertise to advocate for enhanced border and readiness. His tenure ended amid multiple scandals, including a 2013 resignation of the Conservative following a investigation alleging improper lobbying approaches in a , and a subsequent 2014 Commons Standards Committee finding of egregious breaches of paid advocacy rules—described as among the most serious in parliamentary history—resulting in a six-month suspension and his decision not to contest the ensuing by-election. Earlier incidents, such as reported remarks disparaging ethnic minorities and a specific comment referring to an Israeli derogatorily, fueled accusations of insensitivity, though Mercer contested some contexts as misrepresented. Post-parliament, Mercer has authored historical novels and non-fiction on military themes, led battlefield tours, and commented on security matters in outlets including regional newspapers.

Early life and education

Family background and childhood

Patrick John Mercer was born on 26 June 1956 in , , , the son of Eric Arthur John Mercer, an Anglican clergyman who served as the first Bishop of Birkenhead from 1965 to 1973 and later as from 1985 to 1993. His mother hailed from , and the family resided in various locations tied to his father's ecclesiastical postings, embedding Mercer in a traditional British religious household from an early age. Eric Mercer's own background underscored themes of duty and resilience, as he had left theological college during World War II to enlist—still in his cassock—as a private in the Sherwood Foresters regiment, serving before returning to ordained ministry. This paternal example of combining spiritual vocation with military commitment provided a formative environment emphasizing discipline, service, and moral fortitude, though public records offer scant details on Mercer's siblings or discrete childhood incidents beyond these familial influences.

University studies

Patrick Mercer read Modern History at Exeter College, Oxford University, earning an MA in 1980. This academic focus on historical events, methodologies, and causation laid a foundational understanding of military strategy and international relations, which Mercer later applied in his analyses of defense policy. His studies occurred amid a period of rigorous tutorial-based instruction at Oxford, emphasizing primary source analysis and critical historiography, though no specific theses, awards, or extracurricular leadership roles during this time are documented in available records. The curriculum's emphasis on empirical historical evidence aligned with Mercer's subsequent professional emphasis on pragmatic security assessments over ideological narratives.

Military career

Officer training and early postings

Mercer attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst for officer training in 1975, where the curriculum emphasized foundational infantry skills amid evolving security challenges, though he later characterized the instruction as outdated and progressing at the pace of less aggressive branches like the catering corps. The training incorporated early lessons on counterinsurgency and terrorism, influenced by events such as Bloody Sunday in Northern Ireland. Upon completion, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment on March 8, 1975, marking the start of his 26-year regular army service as an infantryman; this followed a family tradition as the third generation to serve in the regiment. His early assignments focused on platoon-level command and routine regimental duties, including a post-commissioning platoon commander's course that provided practical instruction in small-unit tactics and internal security operations. These initial roles emphasized skill acquisition in leadership, discipline, and basic field operations within the United Kingdom and standard overseas garrisons, prior to more specialized tasks.

Major deployments and operations

Mercer completed nine operational tours in from the mid-1970s through the early as an officer in the , focusing on counter-insurgency operations during . These deployments entailed leading patrols in volatile urban and rural districts, such as Ballykelly, to disrupt IRA activities and enforce security amid that claimed over 3,500 lives across the conflict. In 1995–1997, Mercer commanded the 1st Battalion Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters during its deployment to Bosnia and Herzegovina under NATO's Implementation Force (IFOR), established post-Dayton Accords to stabilize the region after the 1992–1995 Bosnian War, which involved ethnic cleansing and displaced over two million people. His unit conducted patrols to enforce ceasefire zones, monitor disarmament of warring factions, and facilitate humanitarian aid convoys amid ongoing risks from landmines and residual hostilities between Bosniak, Serb, and Croat forces. Concurrently in from 1995 to 1997, Mercer led the battalion in rigorous training exercises at the , emphasizing maneuvers, live-fire drills, and adaptation to expansive prairie and subarctic terrains simulating diverse operational environments. These exercises honed tactical proficiency for approximately 5,000 British personnel annually, incorporating urban assault simulations and cold-weather critical for high-intensity warfare preparation.

Command responsibilities and honors

Mercer attained the rank of lieutenant colonel and assumed command of the 1st Battalion, Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment, from 1995 to 1998. In this role, he directed the battalion during deployment to Bosnia in 1996, managing stability operations amid ethnic tensions and post-war reconstruction challenges following the Dayton Accords. His leadership ensured effective patrolling, community engagement, and force protection in a volatile multinational environment. The battalion under Mercer's command also conducted intensive training in , honing cold-weather maneuvers and tactics essential for interoperability and preparedness. These exercises emphasized logistical resilience and , contributing to the regiment's operational standards amid shifting post-Cold War demands. For distinguished service in Bosnia, Mercer received the Officer of the (OBE) in 1997, acknowledging his strategic oversight and unit cohesion during the implementation stabilization force mission. Prior recognitions included a gallantry commendation in 1990 for actions during operational duties and appointment as Member of the (MBE) in 1992 for exemplary leadership in high-risk postings. Mercer retired from active service in 1999 after 25 years, having elevated infantry command efficacy through hands-on operational experience across nine tours, Uganda support missions, and the aforementioned and North American commitments. His tenure as demonstrably bolstered battalion morale and tactical proficiency, as evidenced by sustained mission success without major incidents under his direct authority.

Journalism and media engagements

Transition to broadcasting

Upon retiring from the British Army in 1999 after 25 years of service as an infantry officer, Patrick Mercer entered broadcasting as the defence correspondent for BBC Radio 4's Today programme. This position capitalized on his operational expertise from deployments in Northern Ireland, Bosnia, and other areas, enabling reporting grounded in practical military knowledge rather than detached observation. In this role, Mercer covered defence and security developments, including dispatches from conflict zones such as , where his firsthand familiarity with and command informed on-the-ground assessments. His contributions emphasized empirical insights from active service, differentiating his perspective from that of civilian analysts without comparable field experience. By early 2001, as he prepared for a parliamentary candidacy, Mercer transitioned to freelance broadcasting, maintaining regular appearances on BBC and other outlets to analyze military operations and policy, often highlighting causal links between strategy and outcomes drawn from his army tenure. This phase bridged his military retirement and political entry, establishing him as a specialist whose analyses prioritized verifiable operational realities over speculative commentary.

Key contributions and analyses

Mercer transitioned from to in 1999, assuming the role of defence correspondent for BBC Radio 4's Today programme, where he delivered analyses grounded in his operational experience across , Bosnia, and other deployments. His contributions focused on evaluating UK armed forces' readiness and tactical efficacy in asymmetric conflicts, emphasizing empirical assessments of troop morale, equipment reliability, and logistical constraints observed during active duty rather than abstract policy debates. In this capacity, Mercer reported directly from hotspots including amid the 1999 NATO intervention, providing detailed commentary on British performance, the challenges of rapid deployment, and the limitations of under-equipped forces in high-intensity environments. These reports highlighted causal factors in operational success or shortfall, such as insufficient armored support and training gaps for urban combat, informed by his command of and battlegroups. Such work established his reputation among defence specialists for pragmatic, data-driven critiques that prioritized frontline realities over budgetary or political narratives. Mercer also freelanced for , extending his analyses to broader UK defence posture against emerging threats like ethnic insurgencies and state fragility in the , advocating for sustained investment in professional soldiering based on quantifiable metrics from recent campaigns—such as casualty rates and mission sustainment durations—without ideological overlay. His BBC engagements, despite the outlet's institutional tendencies toward establishment views, underscored his cross-spectrum credibility, as evidenced by regular invitations to dissect military under-resourcing issues predating major post-Cold War fiscal squeezes.

Political career

Candidacy and 2001 election victory

Mercer, a retired army colonel with extensive service in the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment—a unit with historical ties to Nottinghamshire—was selected as the Conservative candidate for the Newark constituency, a rural seat encompassing agricultural areas and military heritage sites. Upon selection, he resigned from his role at the BBC's Today programme to focus on the campaign, becoming a freelance journalist for The Daily Telegraph. His candidacy leveraged his 25 years of military experience, positioning him as a proponent of robust defense policies at a time when the Conservative Party criticized Labour's reductions in armed forces spending and commitments. The 2001 general election occurred on 7 June, with Mercer contesting against incumbent Labour MP Fiona Jones, who had held the seat since 1997 with a narrow majority of 623. Mercer's platform emphasized constituency priorities such as rural economy support and national defense, aligning with Newark's farming communities and veteran population; he secured 20,983 votes (46.5% of the total), defeating Jones's 16,910 votes (37.4%) to gain the seat for the Conservatives by a majority of 4,073. This swing of 6.4% from Labour reflected local dissatisfaction with the prior government's handling of agricultural crises like foot-and-mouth disease and a preference for Mercer's hawkish stance on military readiness. Following his victory, Mercer's early parliamentary work centered on Newark's agricultural sector, advocating for farmers affected by policies and reforms without attracting controversies during his initial term. The win restored Conservative representation in a previously held by the party from to , underscoring voter support for candidates with strong defense credentials in a post-Cold War era of perceived underinvestment in the forces.

Parliamentary tenure and committee work

Mercer retained the Newark constituency in the 2005 general election, securing 21,946 votes (48.0% of the total) against Labour's 15,482 (33.9%), yielding a majority of 6,464 votes. He was re-elected in the 2010 general election with 27,590 votes (53.9%), achieving a majority of 16,152 votes over Labour's 11,438 (22.3%). These results reflected strengthening Conservative support in the seat prior to subsequent events leading to his departure in 2014. Upon entering Parliament in 2001, Mercer served as a member of the Defence Select Committee until October 2003, contributing to inquiries on Ministry of Defence policy, expenditure, and operations. In committee evidence sessions, he interrogated witnesses on topics including the operational use of cluster munitions in conflict zones and the integration of homeland security considerations into broader defence strategy. His questions emphasized practical military effectiveness and resource allocation, drawing on his prior army experience to probe gaps in equipment procurement and force readiness. Mercer voted in favor of the March 18, 2003, motion authorizing military action in to address weapons of mass destruction, aligning with assessments of intelligence indicating non-compliance with UN resolutions. In a 2006 debate on troop withdrawal timelines, he opposed accelerated drawdowns, arguing that premature exits risked undermining operational stability and national security commitments without verifiable progress on Iraqi self-sufficiency. Throughout his tenure, he critiqued defence budget reductions that could impair troop welfare and equipment maintenance, prioritizing empirical evaluations of readiness over fiscal constraints. He also participated in the Joint Committee on the Draft Civil Contingencies Bill in 2003-2004, focusing on legislative frameworks for response and civil defence .

Shadow ministry appointments

Mercer was appointed Shadow Minister for Homeland Security in June 2003 by Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith, to a newly established frontbench position addressing post-9/11 counter-terrorism and national security challenges. His military background, including command of counter-insurgency operations, positioned him to critique Labour government policies on border vulnerabilities and intelligence coordination, emphasizing practical threat assessments over bureaucratic expansions. Following Michael Howard's ascension to party leadership in November 2003, Mercer retained the role, contributing to shadow scrutiny of entry clearance failures and advocating tighter controls to mitigate risks from unchecked inflows. He voiced reservations about EU encroachment into domestic domains, arguing for bolstered national defenses independent of supranational directives that diluted operational . This continuity underscored the utility of veteran-led input in formulating resilient strategies against evolving terrorist threats, as evidenced by his engagements on measures like the Identity Cards Bill and anti-terrorism frameworks. Mercer held the portfolio through David Cameron's early leadership until resigning from the frontbench in March 2007, having shaped Conservative positions on homeland resilience amid events like the 7/7 London bombings. His tenure demonstrated the advantage of first-hand operational experience in prioritizing causal factors of insecurity, such as porous borders and over-reliance on , over ideologically driven reforms.

Controversies

2007 comments on racism and resignation from shadow role

In a March 2007 interview with the BBC, Patrick Mercer, then Conservative shadow homeland security minister and a former British Army colonel, commented on racism within the armed forces based on his 26 years of service. He stated, "I came across a lot of ethnic minority soldiers who were idle and useless, but who used the fact that they were from ethnic minorities as a cover for their own poor performance," emphasizing that such individuals exploited racism allegations to evade accountability rather than addressing genuine barriers to advancement. Mercer further remarked that not every ethnic minority soldier faced insurmountable obstacles, noting, "The Army doesn't have a particularly good record at recruiting from ethnic minorities, but once they're in, they do pretty well," and disputed exaggerated claims of systemic discrimination by observing that terms like "black bastard" were derogatory insults common in military banter but not indicative of institutional racism. These observations were framed in the context of recruitment realism, challenging narratives that portrayed all ethnic minorities as inherently disadvantaged or victimized, and drawing from his experience commanding diverse units where merit, not identity, determined outcomes. The remarks, made amid broader discussions of diversity efforts in the military, were immediately criticized by Labour politicians and anti-racism advocates as insensitive and stereotypical, with some outlets amplifying them as evidence of entrenched prejudice despite Mercer's clarification that he did not deny racism's existence but highlighted its misuse as a pretext for underperformance. Conservative leader David Cameron responded swiftly on March 8, 2007, deeming the comments "completely unacceptable" and incompatible with the party's modernization agenda, leading to Mercer's resignation from his shadow ministerial role that day; Cameron stated, "We should not tolerate racism in the army or in any walk of life," framing the decision as necessary to uphold standards without alleging personal racism on Mercer's part. No further party sanctions followed, such as whip withdrawal or expulsion, allowing Mercer to retain his seat as MP for Newark; he issued a statement regretting the offence caused but did not retract the substance, asserting the comments reflected operational realities rather than bias. This episode underscored tensions between candid assessments of individual accountability in high-stakes environments like the Army—where ethnic minority representation remained low at around 7-8% of personnel in the mid-2000s, per Ministry of Defence diversity reporting—and political pressures to align with prevailing sensitivity norms under Cameron's leadership, which prioritized image over empirical nuance from frontline experience. Mercer's prior military record included leading integrated units without documented discrimination complaints against him, contrasting with the swift political fallout that prioritized optics over contextual evaluation of his claims.

2013 lobbying inquiries and whip suspension

In May 2013, undercover journalists from and BBC posed as representatives of a fictitious Fijian firm called "Friends of Fiji," approaching Patrick Mercer to solicit his services for advocating Fiji's interests in amid its suspension from the since 2009. The operation, initiated earlier in the year, recorded Mercer agreeing to act as a paid , signing a on 20 March 2013 for £2,000 per month to provide "parliamentary advice" and assistance in establishing an (APPG) on . Footage showed him accepting an initial £2,000 cash payment on 8 March 2013 without declaring it as a registrable interest, and he subsequently tabled five written parliamentary questions on Fiji-related topics—such as its record and status—drafted by the undercover reporters, along with a motion asserting "no justification for Fiji's continued suspension." Mercer also appeared to offer the fake firm a House of Commons security pass for access to parliamentary facilities, further breaching standards on external influence. Mercer maintained that he had not engaged in or improper advocacy, attributing his actions to "stupidity" and poor judgment in participating in the meetings without verifying the clients' legitimacy, while insisting no actual occurred on behalf of real Fijian interests. He voluntarily resigned the Conservative Party whip on 31 May 2013, stating the move was to "save my party embarrassment" pending investigations, and simultaneously referred himself to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards for review. No criminal charges were brought, as the allegations centered on potential breaches of parliamentary rules rather than provable under law, with the sting operation providing evidence of willingness to exchange services for payment but relying on simulated circumstances that Mercer later contested as entrapment-like inducement. The incident highlighted vulnerabilities in MPs' interactions with undeclared external actors but did not establish direct causal links to systemic , given the absence of genuine third-party beneficiaries or undisclosed ongoing payments beyond the sting.

Resignation from Parliament

2014 Commons suspension and decision to stand down

In April 2014, the House of Commons Committee on Standards investigated allegations that Mercer had engaged in paid advocacy by tabling parliamentary questions, an Early Day Motion, and establishing an All-Party Parliamentary Group on Fiji without declaring relevant financial interests from a consultancy arrangement. The committee's report, published on 1 May 2014, concluded that Mercer had committed a serious and sustained breach of rules on registration, declaration, and paid advocacy, deliberately evading transparency requirements despite his experience as a long-serving MP. It described the misconduct as causing significant reputational damage to the House and ranked it among the most egregious violations since 1947, second only to one prior case involving criminal conviction. The recommended sanction was a six-month suspension from the House, including forfeiture of salary and pension contributions—the longest such penalty in modern parliamentary history excluding criminal matters. Mercer resigned his Newark seat on 29 April 2014, preempting the report's publication and the House's vote on the suspension, which occurred on 8 May. In his public statement, he expressed personal shame over the incident, stating, "I am an ex-soldier and I believe that when I have got something wrong you've got to 'fess up and get on with it," and emphasized the need to "put it right" for his constituency, family, and wife, who had endured prolonged pressure. This followed his earlier resignation of the Conservative in May 2013, which he had framed as a measure to spare his party further embarrassment from the initial revelations. No criminal prosecution ensued, as the Standards Committee's findings addressed internal parliamentary conduct rules rather than statutory offenses, underscoring the body's authority to impose sanctions independent of judicial processes.

Newark by-election outcomes

The Newark took place on 5 June 2014, prompted by Patrick Mercer's resignation from on 29 April 2014 in response to findings by the Standards that he had committed a serious breach of lobbying rules by accepting payment for parliamentary inquiries on behalf of . The Conservative candidate, , retained the seat for the party with 17,431 votes (45.3% share), securing a of 7,403 over UKIP's Helmer, who polled 10,028 votes (26.1%); Labour's Michael Payne placed third. This marked a sharp decline from Mercer's 16,152-vote (31.5% swing equivalent in terms) in the 2010 , where Conservatives had captured 53.3% of the vote amid higher turnout. Analyses attributed the reduced margin partly to lingering voter discontent over Mercer's scandal, which had eroded local trust, yet Conservative resilience—bolstered by extensive campaigning involving over 100 party activists and tactical anti-UKIP voting—prevented a loss, with Jenrick's vote share holding firmer than pre-poll expectations of a narrower win. UKIP's advance, coming days after their European Parliament triumphs, highlighted national anti-establishment sentiment but exposed limits in converting scandal-driven discontent into a breakthrough against a mobilized incumbent party. Mercer remained uninvolved, having already surrendered the Conservative in and focused post-resignation on non-political pursuits, leaving dynamics to pivot toward defending the seat's traditional Conservative base without his participation. The result signaled contained electoral fallout, with no evidence of broader brand damage to Conservatives in the constituency, as subsequent general elections confirmed the seat's safety under Jenrick.

Post-parliamentary activities

Continued writing and historical fiction

Following his resignation from Parliament in 2014, Patrick Mercer focused on , leveraging his 26 years of army service to infuse narratives with realistic portrayals of combat and command. His works emphasize the grit of 19th-century warfare, particularly through the Anthony Morgan trilogy published by , which dramatizes events of the . The trilogy opens with To Do and Die (2009), tracking protagonist Anthony Morgan, a British officer entangled in espionage and battles amid the 1854 campaign against Russian forces at the Alma River and beyond. Mercer draws on primary accounts and his own tactical expertise to depict the era's logistical failures and infantry assaults, avoiding romanticization in favor of the campaign's human cost. Sequels Dust and Steel (2010) and the concluding volume extend Morgan's arc through the war's sieges and charges, blending documented history—such as the Balaclava engagement—with fictional intrigue. Mercer's approach extends genre diversity beyond Crimea to World War I-themed novels like the Doctor Watson series, starting with Doctor Watson's War (2012), which reimagines Sherlock Holmes' companion in trench warfare, incorporating Mercer's insights on modern infantry from his Bosnia command. These post-parliamentary efforts sustained his output, with reception evidenced by consistent mid-range reader evaluations (e.g., 3.7/5 for To Do and Die across over 100 reviews), reflecting niche appeal among military history enthusiasts rather than mass-market dominance. Publishers noted tempered expectations for Crimean-themed sales due to the topic's obscurity compared to Napoleonic fiction.

Defense policy commentary and public advocacy

Mercer has contributed regular columns to outlets such as Conservative Home, critiquing perceived weaknesses in UK defense policy through data on force structures and readiness. In a December 2024 piece, he argued that the Labour government under Defence Secretary John Healey is uniquely reducing NATO allies' combat capabilities by scrapping 10,000 troops, contrasting this with Poland's tripling of forces and doubling of defense spending amid Russia's battle-hardened army—now the world's largest after over 1,000 days of war in Ukraine. He cited Healey's own admission of inadequate preparedness for conflict, decrying policy reviews as excuses for inaction and advocating immediate reversal of cuts to counter threats from Russia, China, Iran, and Middle East instability. His advocacy emphasizes empirical realism over disarmament trends, urging repudiation of "institutional softness" and prioritization of heavy artillery over ceremonial units, given Russia's recent strikes on —potentially nuclear-capable. Mercer opposes left-leaning reductions in military spending by highlighting causal risks, such as the average age of Ukrainian infantrymen reaching 43, which underscores attrition's toll without corresponding Western hardening. In commentary on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Mercer draws on extensive travels to both countries to promote pragmatic assessments, warning in a January 2024 Critic article against Western delusions about Ukraine's sacrifices enabling Russian retreat and stressing Moscow's resolve. He has used platforms like the Yorkshire Post for similar realism, as in a December 2022 column calling for negotiated peace without illusory triumphs, and later pieces addressing escalations like missile alerts and potential U.S. policy shifts under Donald Trump sharpening focus on Russia. Mercer remains active as a speaker on defense and security, delivering uncompromising views on maintaining readiness against authoritarian threats, informed by his military background and regional expertise.

Publications

Military and political non-fiction

Mercer published Inkerman 1854: The Soldiers' Battle in 1997, a detailed military history focusing on the November 5, 1854, engagement during the Crimean War, which emphasized the tactical challenges faced by British forces in foggy conditions against Russian assaults, drawing on primary accounts to highlight infantry resilience and command errors. The book, part of the Praeger Illustrated Military History series, incorporated Mercer's analysis of soldier-level experiences, informed by his own 26-year army career commanding Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters battalions in operations including Northern Ireland. It received recognition for its granular reconstruction, appealing to readers interested in unsanitized depictions of 19th-century combat logistics and morale under supply shortages. In 2009, Mercer released Delane's War: How Front-Line Reports from the Brought Down a , examining editor John Delane's dispatches from October 1854 to January 1855, which exposed army mismanagement and contributed to the Aberdeen 's collapse on January 29, 1855. The work analyzed how journalistic scrutiny revealed causal links between inadequate preparation—such as insufficient medical facilities and —and high , using archival to institutional failures without romanticizing outcomes. Published by Biteback, it underscored Mercer's expertise in operational realities, resonating with audiences seeking evidence-based critiques of wartime decision-making over narrative gloss. These non-fiction titles, produced after Mercer's 1997 army retirement, leveraged his Oxford history degree and field command insights to prioritize empirical soldier perspectives and logistical causation in historical conflicts, distinguishing them from broader political treatises while informing conservative discussions on military preparedness. No dedicated volumes on contemporary security threats or personal memoirs appeared in his oeuvre, though the histories implicitly addressed enduring themes of threat assessment and force sustainability.

Historical novels

Mercer's historical novels center on the Anthony Morgan trilogy, which chronicles the exploits of a British across major Victorian-era conflicts, incorporating authentic tactical details informed by the author's own service in the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment. The series emphasizes gritty realism in combat depictions, reflecting Mercer's firsthand knowledge of maneuvers and regimental life, rather than romanticized heroism. The opening volume, To Do and Die (published 2009 by HarperCollins), transports readers to the Crimean War in 1854, where protagonist Lieutenant Anthony Morgan joins the 33rd Regiment amid escalating tensions between Western powers and Russia over Ottoman territories. Morgan navigates brutal engagements, personal rivalries, and the harsh logistics of campaign life, including the infamous Charge of the Light Brigade and sieges around Sevastopol, with the narrative highlighting the incompetence and valor of British forces. Reviewers have commended the book's meticulous reconstruction of battles like Inkerman—drawing from Mercer's non-fiction expertise on the event—for its tactical precision, such as volley fire and bayonet charges, though some note the plot's reliance on formulaic soldierly duty over complex character arcs. In the sequel, Dust and Steel (published 2010 by HarperCollins), Morgan and elements of the 95th Regiment arrive in Bombay as the Indian Mutiny erupts in 1857, thrusting him into counter-insurgency operations against sepoy rebels who have massacred British civilians. The story unfolds through sieges, guerrilla skirmishes, and moral quandaries over reprisals, with Mercer's prose vividly capturing the chaos of colonial warfare, including the use of Enfield rifles and square formations against irregular forces. Critics praise the novel's historical fidelity—sourced from primary accounts of events like the relief of Lucknow—for prioritizing operational authenticity over dramatic flair, making it particularly resonant for readers interested in imperial military history, despite occasional critiques of underdeveloped subplots. The trilogy concludes with Red Runs the Helmand (2011), shifting to contemporary but maintaining the series' focus on regimental endurance; however, its modern setting diverges from strictly . Overall reception underscores Mercer's strength in evidentiary detail—rooted in and personal soldiery—elevating battle sequences for niche audiences, while literary analysts observe that momentum often yields to instructional exposition on 19th-century warfare .

References

  1. https://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/11109/patrick_mercer/newark
  2. https://www.harpercollins.ca/author/cr-178728/patrick-mercer
  3. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-27202749
  4. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/may/31/patrick-mercer-panorama-tory-whip-resigns-profile
  5. https://www.specialistspeakers.com/?p=3014
  6. https://powerbase.info/index.php/Patrick_Mercer
  7. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-22727903
  8. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-27208966
  9. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/may/01/patrick-mercer-tory-mp-worst-ever-breaches-rules
  10. https://www.timesofisrael.com/british-mp-who-made-bloody-jew-remark-quits/
  11. https://classicbattlefieldtours.com/tour-guides/patrick-mercer-obe-2/
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  13. https://www.gainsboroughconservatives.org.uk/events/supper-club-patrick-mercer-obe-mp
  14. https://www.military-history.org/feature/mhm-interviews-patrick-mercer.htm
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  19. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1544894/Mercers-impeccable-military-credentials.html
  20. http://www.worcestershiremilitariamuseum.org/worcestershire--sherwood-foresters.html
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  23. https://cryptome.wikileaks.org/fru-mercer.htm
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  29. https://electionresults.parliament.uk/elections/2984
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  35. https://www.publicwhip.org.uk/division.php?date=2003-03-18&number=118&display=allpossible
  36. https://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2004-03-30.1425.1
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  38. https://www.rusi.org/publication/lapse-security
  39. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-441074/Col-Patrick-Mercer-transcript.html
  40. https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2007/mar/08/conservatives.military
  41. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6434053.stm
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  44. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/conservative/10092607/Exposed-deal-that-sank-cash-for-questions-MP-Mercer.html
  45. https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/06/01/patrick-mercer_n_3370263.html
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  47. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-22739412
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  51. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-27237419
  52. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/apr/29/patrick-mercer-suspended-house-of-commons
  53. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-27711254
  54. https://www.parliament.uk/business/news/news-by-year/2014/june/new-member-of-parliament-for-newark/
  55. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/byelection/10879200/Newark-by-election-2014-result.html
  56. https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/as-it-happened-newark-by-election-results/
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  58. https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2014/06/tories-comfortably-defeat-ukip-newark-election
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  63. https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/7592968-to-do-and-die
  64. https://19.bbk.ac.uk/article/id/1527/
  65. https://conservativehome.com/2024/12/02/patrick-mercer-alone-in-nato-the-uk-is-cutting-her-combat-power-and-readiness-for-war/
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  76. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8483055-dust-and-steel
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  79. https://www.addall.com/books-in-order/patrick-mercer/
  80. https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/whats-on/find-things-to-do/die-patrick-mercer-harpercollins-1499-3080486
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