Defence minister Johnny Mercer, the Conservative MP for Plymouth Moor View, has resigned from the government.

Boris Johnson thanked Mercer for his service as a minister, according to a Downing Street spokeswoman.

In a statement released shortly after 7pm, the spokeswoman said: “This evening the prime minister has accepted the resignation of Johnny Mercer as minister for defence people and veterans.

“He thanks Johnny Mercer for his service as a government minister since 2019.”

In a letter to the PM, posted on his Twitter account, Mercer said: “It is with a heavy heart that I am forced to offer you my resignation from your government.”

He said he had hoped Johnson’s premiership would “signal a step change in veterans affairs in the UK”.

Mercer added: “Whilst we continue to say all the right things, you will understand that if we fail to match that with what we deliver, we risk damaging an already bruised veterans cohort further, as I told you last month in our first face to face meeting, we crossed that line some time ago.”

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