Mercer says personal abuse means it's his last election

Veterans minister admits attacks have taken toll on his family

- ALEX ROSS

Veterans minister Johnny Mercer has said this will be his final election campaign due to the abuse his family have suffered including a recent incident in which a man told his daughter: "Your dad's a cunt."

The Conservative candidate for Plymouth Moor View is the latest politician to open up about abuse and threatening behaviour, revealing it has left him feeling drained despite his love for the job. The 42-year-old won the seat from Labour in 2015 and has grown his majority to almost 13,000 over two subsequent elections.

After three tours in Afghanistan, Mr Mercer said he entered politics to speak up for armed service veterans and the city he described as the “Jewel of the South West”. And despite an “up and down” time in government – he was relieved of his job twice as Veterans Minister before his latest stint under Rishi Sunak – Mr Mercer was “incredibly proud” of what he’d achieved.

But he said abuse directed at him and his family has gone too far, and that if he wins his seat for a fourth successive term, it will be his last.

He revealed his decision to The Independent after police were called to a man allegedly filming him with his three-year-old daughter in public, before telling her: “Your dad’s a cunt.”