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Military veteran Johnny Mercer has began a confrontation with a Labour rival after accusing him of mendacity about his navy document.
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 basic 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 confrontation with a Labour rival after accusing him of mendacity about his navy document
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, wherein 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 present: ‘You lied about being in fight to journalists, and had been known as out to your face by different veterans within the room.
‘You must resign; I don’t know why Labour would again you. Within the previous days this may 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 conflict 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 informed the BBC: ‘I served on delicate operations which might 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 celebration colleague, as he urged Mr Mercer to ‘do the proper 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 conflict zones the place the chance to life was a day by day prevalence.
‘As a former Colonel, I imagine service needs to be above politics, and we should always honour and respect all those that haven’t solely served but additionally been keen to place their lives in danger for the security and safety of the nation.’
