Former veterans minister Johnny Mercer joins us to discuss his new book, No Way to Run a Country: An Outsider’s Journey into the Heart of our Broken Politics, and his struggle to change veterans’ policy from inside Westminster and Whitehall.
Mercer entered Parliament after serving in Afghanistan, determined to improve support for former service personnel. He recalls arriving with little knowledge of parliamentary politics, the unexpected impact of his maiden speech, and how he used his role on the Defence Select Committee and the media to press for change.
He takes us behind the scenes at Prime Minister’s Questions: what happens when an MP is chosen to ask a question, and why do so many use the opportunity to ask a planted question? He explains why select committees offered him a more effective way to hold people to account than exchanges in the Commons Chamber, and how party discipline and the pursuit of ministerial office can shape an MP’s choices.
Mercer also explains why he fought to establish an Office for Veterans’ Affairs outside the Ministry of Defence, and how political instability helped him win commitments from successive Prime Ministers. He is candid about the relationships he damaged, the mistakes he made, and what he learned about working with people whose priorities differed from his own.
Finally, he offers his prescription for a more effective Parliament, assesses the current government’s approach to veterans and the Northern Ireland legacy debate, and considers whether he would ever return to politics and Parliament.
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Parliament Matters is a Hansard Society production supported by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust.
Presenters: Mark D’Arcy and Ruth Fox
Producer: Richard Townsend
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