Military veteran Johnny Mercer has began a disagreement with a Labour rival after accusing him of mendacity about his army file.
The Conservative veterans minister has hit out at former Royal Marine and opposition candidate Fred Thomas for supposedly mendacity about serving in fight.
Mr Mercer’s feedback got here after a hustings on Wednesday in Plymouth Moor View, the constituency which each males are searching for to win within the upcoming normal election on July 4.
Following the occasion, the Tory minister posted a video on social media accusing Mr Thomas of being ‘a fraud’ and claiming he had ‘lied’ about serving in fight for the aim of ‘political level scoring’.
However Mr Thomas has hit again towards these claims, telling Mr Mercer he ‘had lived and served in a warzone’, which concerned ‘delicate operations’ that he could not speak about in public.
Military veteran Johnny Mercer (pictured) has began a disagreement with a Labour rival after accusing him of mendacity about his army file
Mr Mercer (pictured in his soldier days) has hit out at former Royal Marine and opposition candidate Fred Thomas for supposedly mendacity about serving in fight
However Mr Thomas (pictured) has hit again towards these claims, telling Mr Mercer he ‘had lived and served in a warzone’
Mr Mercer has refused to again down on his place, and has additionally questioned an interview that Mr Thomas gave to the Guardian in 2023, by which he mentioned he had served ‘in fight missions earlier than leaving the corps in February’ of that 12 months.
The Tory minister wrote on X at the moment: ‘You lied about being in fight to journalists, and had been known as out to your face by different veterans within the room.
‘You need to resign; I do not know why Labour would again you. Within the outdated days this might be the tip of your public life.
‘It’s not level scoring. It’s about integrity.’
Mr Mercer later added that he doesn’t dispute Mr Thomas ‘lived and served in a warfare zone’ however mentioned this was ‘very totally different to combating and having your mates die in your arms’.
Hitting again on the claims, Mr Thomas instructed the BBC: ‘I served on delicate operations which can be actually current so I am not allowed to speak about them in that form of element.
‘We shouldn’t be permitting political point-scoring for the sake of incomes votes.’
Shadow Defence Secretary John Healey has additionally jumped to the defence of his occasion colleague, as he urged Mr Mercer to ‘do the suitable factor and withdraw his deeply disrespectful remarks’.
Ex-Royal Marine and Labour’s candidate in Birmingham Al Carns added: ‘Fred Thomas has served in high-threat warfare zones the place the chance to life was a each day incidence.
‘As a former Colonel, I imagine service needs to be above politics, and we must always honour and respect all those that haven’t solely served but additionally been prepared to place their lives in danger for the security and safety of the nation.’
