Tory Mercer 'should keep eyebrows shave vow' if he fails on Veterans ID pledge

29 December 2023 , 13:00

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Johnny Mercer suggested earlier this year that he'd shave his eyebrows (Image: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

A Tory Minister has been told to keep his promise to shave his eyebrows off if he did not complete the Veterans ID cards rollout by the end of the year.

Johnny Mercer is under pressure to prove he is “a man of his word” as he is set to miss his commitment. In March, the Veterans’ Minister pledged to get ID cards rolled out for armed forces veterans this year.

An account called Military Banter replied to Mr Mercer’s post on social media, asking: “Robogen?”. The military slang means: If you’re lying, will you have your head shaved bald like a robot?

Mr Mercer replied simply with: “Eyebrows”. It means if he is lying then he will have his eyebrows shaved off. Labour has now called for the Tory MP to stick to his word, as analysis suggests fewer than 4% of veterans ID cards have been given out.

A Labour source said: “This Government has a track record of letting ordinary people down. Their record on veterans is shocking – full of warm words and no action. But Johnny Mercer is a man of his word. I look forward to Johnny following through on this commitment, and I wish him a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.”

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It comes as Mr Mercer faces criticism over remarks made on social media directed at Carol Vorderman and Fred Thomas, Labour's candidate hoping to unseat him at the general election. In an astonishing social media message the top Tory claimed Mr Thomas had "served five minutes in uniform". In fact Mr Thomas was in the Royal Marines for seven years becoming a Captain.

Mr Mercer also accused Mr Thomas, who is standing in Plymouth Moor View, and Ms Vorderman of leading "s*** lonely lives". The ID cards scheme was launched to help the two million armed forces veterans access specialist support and services. Phase one, for those who left the military after December 2018, is completed, with some 71,000 cards having been issued.

For phase two, for those who left before December 2018, just 500 cards have been dispatched. Defence minister Dr Andrew Murrison released the figures in response to written parliamentary questions.

He said production had aimed to dispatch thousands of cards for pre-2018 veterans by the end of 2023. The department expects production to increase over the course of 2024 towards a maximum output capacity of around 50,000 cards per month. A government spokeswoman said: "We committed to delivering thousands of Veteran Cards to veterans who left service before December 2018 by the end of this year. This has been achieved, so the Minister's eyebrows are safe this Christmas."

Sophie Huskisson