The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Veterans and People is a ministerial position in the Ministry of Defence in British government, currently held by Calvin Bailey. From 2022 to 2024, the role was Minister of State for Veterans' Affairs in Cabinet Office and the minister attended the Cabinet.
History It was formerly known as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence from 1989 to 2005 and as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence Veterans, Reserves and Personnel under Tobias Ellwood.
Johnny Mercer was appointed minister in July 2019 to the new government by incoming Prime Minister Boris Johnson. On 20 April 2021, Mercer was "sacked by text" after offering to resign at the end of Wednesday 21 April, but refusing to go earlier. In a tweet, Mercer said he was "relieved of [his] responsibilities in Government" because of his disagreements with the scope of the proposed Overseas Operations Bill. This new government law is designed to protect veterans from unfounded prosecutions. However, Mercer said it was a "red line" for him that British soldiers who served in Northern Ireland are excluded.
On 7 July 2024, after the 2024 United Kingdom General Election Mercer criticised Sir Keir Starmer’s new Labour government for failing to appoint a new Minister of State for Veterans' Affairs at the same time as the rest of his cabinet. He said; "You will note already that, despite his explicit personal promises in the election campaign, Keir Starmer has not appointed a veterans minister to his cabinet", adding, "If you understand what veterans need from their Government, this matters very much".
Alistair Carns was appointed Minister for Veterans on 9 July 2024; the position is now that of a parliamentary under-secretary of state, the most junior level of minister.
Responsibilities The minister has the following ministerial responsibilities:
Civilian and service personnel policy Armed forces pay, pensions and compensation Armed Forces Covenant Welfare and service families Community engagement Equality, diversity and inclusion Veterans (including resettlement, transition, defence charities and Ministerial Covenant and Veterans Board, and Office of Veteran Affairs) Legacy issues and non-operational public inquiries and inquests Mental health Defence Medical Services The people programme (Flexible Engagement Strategy, Future Accommodation Model and Enterprise Approach) Estates service family accommodation policy and engagement with welfare
List of ministers Name Portrait Entered office Left office Political party Prime MinisterParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence The Earl of Arran 25 July 198926 July 1990Conservative Margaret Thatcher Kenneth CarlisleOctober 1990March 1992 John Major The Earl of Arran 28 November 1990 15 April 1992 Viscount Cranborne 22 April 1992 20 July 1994 The Lord Henley 20 July 1994 5 July 1995 The Earl Howe 5 July 1995 2 May 1997 John Spellar 6 May 1997 28 July 1999 Labour Tony Blair Peter Kilfoyle 28 July 1999 30 January 2000 Lewis Moonie 31 January 2001 13 June 2003 Ivor Caplin 13 June 2003 11 May 2005 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Veterans Don Touhig 11 May 2005 5 May 2006 Labour Tony Blair Tom Watson 5 May 2006 6 September 2006 Derek Twigg 6 September 2006 5 October 2008Gordon Brown Kevan Jones 5 October 2008 11 May 2010Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Welfare and Veterans Andrew Robathan 13 May 2010 4 September 2012 Conservative David CameronMinister of State for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans Mark Francois 4 September 2012 7 October 2013 Conservative David Cameron Anna Soubry 7 October 2013 11 May 2015Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence Veterans, Reserves and Personnel Mark Lancaster 12 May 2015 13 June 2017 Conservative David CameronTheresa May Tobias Ellwood 14 June 2017 26 July 2019Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence People and Veterans Johnny Mercer 28 July 2019 20 April 2021 Conservative Boris Johnson Leo Docherty 20 April 2021 7 July 2022Minister of State for Veterans' Affairs Johnny Mercer 7 July 2022 6 September 2022 Conservative Boris JohnsonParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence People, Veterans and Service Families Sarah Atherton20 September 202227 October 2022ConservativeLiz TrussMinister of State for Veterans' Affairs Johnny Mercer25 October 20225 July 2024ConservativeRishi SunakParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Veterans and People Alistair Carns 9 July 2024 6 September 2025 Labour Keir Starmer Louise Sandher-Jones 6 September 2025 12 June 2026 Calvin Bailey 12 June 2026 Incumbent Andy Burnham
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