Why Tory minister Johnny Mercer could face jail over Afghanistan evidence

MP has just days to reveal his sources over alleged unlawful killings by British soldiers, says inquiry chair

Johnny Mercer
Ex-soldier Mercer gave 'extraordinary' witness statement to the Afghanistan inquiry that read 'like a treatment for a film'
(Image credit: Wiktor Szymanowicz / Anadolu via Getty Images)

The minister for veterans' affairs has been ordered to name sources who told him about alleged war crimes by British soldiers – or face a possible jail sentence.

Tory MP Johnny Mercer, a former soldier, has until 5 April to provide a witness statement to an independent inquiry that is "investigating whether British special forces killed civilians and unarmed people on night raids in Afghanistan", said the BBC

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 Sorcha Bradley is a writer at The Week and a regular on “The Week Unwrapped” podcast. She worked at The Week magazine for a year and a half before taking up her current role with the digital team, where she mostly covers UK current affairs and politics. Before joining The Week, Sorcha worked at slow-news start-up Tortoise Media. She has also written for Sky News, The Sunday Times, the London Evening Standard and Grazia magazine, among other publications. She has a master’s in newspaper journalism from City, University of London, where she specialised in political journalism.