A Conservative MP claimed yesterday that he had received texts in the middle of the night from Ministry of Defence officials demanding that he tone down a parliamentary inquiry into the treatment of British troops accused of war crimes in Iraq.
Johnny Mercer is chairman of an inquiry into the treatment of former and serving British troops who have faced investigations into claims by Iraqis of mistreatment, which have provoked strong feelings within the armed forces. He said that he had been told that his activities were not helpful to the government, including via text messages in the early hours.
Last week Mr Mercer and colleagues on a sub-group of the Commons defence select committee took evidence from Sir Michael Fallon, the defence secretary, and other service chiefs and challenged them about historical allegations against British troops in Iraq.
The MPs’ report, due early next year, is expected to be highly critical of the proceedings against some British service personnel. It is likely to call for the disbanding of the Iraq Historic Allegations Team, which is investigating allegations of the abuse of civilians in Iraq between 2003 and 2009.
Mr Mercer, a former army officer who served three tours in Afghanistan before entering parliament, said that MoD officials wanted to protect the defence secretary. “The officials are interested in protecting Michael Fallon but what I am interested in is the British military and how it is allowed to operate,” he told The Sunday Telegraph. “There have been texts at one o’clock in the morning. I don’t want to go into detail, but they have been as a consequence of articles in newspapers and things I have said in public.”
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He added: “The texts have been critical of my approach. They have been from civilians in the Ministry of Defence saying what I am doing is not helpful to the government.”
Mr Mercer said he would not be intimidated, adding: “I am afraid they make me more determined.”
The MoD did not respond directly when asked about Mr Mercer’s claims. A spokesman said: “The government is determined to stop spurious legal claims against our troops and looks forward to considering recommendations from Johnny Mercer’s committee.”