Johnny Mercer’s mission to roll out veterans’ cards that will transform ex-troops’ lives

Twice sacked and three times appointed, Johnny Mercer is back in Cabinet and on a mission. The minister for veterans’ affairs sits in his sparse office - he hasn’t had time to hang up any pictures since being fired from the same room two months ago by Liz Truss - having given himself two years to help the estimated 2.4 million former Armed Forces personnel now under his watch. In a wide-ranging and candid interview with The Telegraph, Mr Mercer, 41, said that the new identity cards would play a pivotal role in ensuring veterans have speedy access to vital health, housing and charity services. The move was immediately welcomed by veterans’ charities who said that the cards were important for those former soldiers who had lost their way after leaving the military. The national census last year for the first time asked recipients if they had ever been a member of the armed forces, giving the newly created Office for Veterans’ Affairs a much clearer picture of just how many former service personnel are out there, how old they are, and where they live.