Johnny Mercer tells rebel Tory MPs to get behind Rishi Sunakthedigitalchaps

VETERANS minister Johnny Mercer tells Tory MPs to get behind Rishi Sunak or risk handing the election to Labour.

The senior Conservative called on his colleagues to “pull together” because the country is “at stake”.

It follows a week of bitter infighting over the Prime Minister’s emergency legislation to send illegal migrants to Rwanda.

Mr Sunak managed to get his bill over its first Commons’ hurdle but faces mutiny in the new year from right wing factions nicknamed the “five families” and the lefty One Nation group.

But Mr Mercer said the public want to see “discipline, dedication and duty”.

He told the Sun on Sunday: “We’re going into an election now and – whatever you think of a policy – what the public are looking for are a party in government that reflect their values and their ethos.

“They are embodied by the Prime Minister and I think that we have a duty to step up and support him in that way both in the Cabinet and across the party.”

Mr Mercer said they need to scrutinise the Labour Party, adding: “The more you look, the worse it gets. This is serious business, the country, the nation, is at stake.”

He added: “If you take my part of the ship you look at the veterans’ offer in the Labour Party – it is dire. There are no plans.”

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The former British Army commando announced that 400 people have been referred to Op Fortitude – a scheme tackling homelessness in the veteran community launched in July.

Mr Mercer added: “I’m going around the country making sure that there are no veterans sleeping rough this Christmas.

“The commitment was very clear that no veteran will be sleeping rough because of a lack of provision. So we have achieved that aim because we have got a provision that is not saturated.”

Mr Mercer said the work was a “huge privilege” and added: “Politics takes its toll and I think it’s pretty obvious to everyone that I find most of it a pretty tough game but when you meet these people you realise why you do it, why you stick at it and why you endure what goes on because you change their lives.”