For some MPs Afghanistan is personal as well as political
The struggles of a group shaped by the conflict
THE FIRST two decades of this century saw the rise of a new type of politician, or perhaps a new version of an old type of politician: young MPs shaped by one of the most difficult environments in the world, Afghanistan. Johnny Mercer, a former commando, gave his maiden speech about a friend who had died in his arms. Several of his new colleagues—Tom Tugendhat and James Heappey on the Conservative benches and Dan Jarvis and Clive Lewis on the Labour ones—had also fought on the ground.
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “The sun also sets”
Britain August 21st 2021
- Policymakers weigh up the future of Britain’s pandemic state
- Out of lockdown, Britons are discovering other viruses still exist
- The number of young adults in Britain is about to rise sharply
- Scottish nationalism’s oil dilemma
- Boris Johnson promises to take in more Afghan refugees
- For some MPs Afghanistan is personal as well as political
Discover more
Are British voters as clueless as Labour’s intelligentsia thinks?
How the idea of false consciousness conquered the governing party
The best British companies to work for to get ahead
A new ranking of firms by pay, promotions and hiring practices
How the best British employers find and promote their staff
No degree? Some employers care much less than others
A Northern Irish experiment in recycling
The tiny island aiming to get to net zero
A sticking-plaster policy for Britain’s strained courts
Magistrates get more power. Will they get punch-drunk on it?