Former marine 'honoured' to be veterans minister

Alistair Carns became an MP after winning in the Labour stronghold of Selly Oak last week

A former Royal Marines Colonel has said he is “deeply honoured” to have been chosen as the government’s new veterans’ minister.

Alistair Carns, the new MP for Selly Oak in Birmingham, is a first time parliamentarian who now also has a junior ministerial role.

Mr Carns posted on X, formerly Twitter, that it would be a "privilege" to represent veterans, who had "sacrificed so much for our nation, and stood and fought with courage."

His post as a junior minister sits within the Ministry of Defence and is not part of the new cabinet.

Sir Keir Starmer has given junior ministerial roles to five MPs who were elected for the first time last week, even though it is unusual for newcomers to immediately be given government jobs.

Mr Carns became Labour’s candidate in Selly Oak, a seat that the party has held for over three decades, when Steve McCabe retired after 14 years as the area’s MP.

He won 17,371 votes, comfortably beating the Conservatives' Simon Phipps, who won 5,834 votes.

He is now one of 335 first time MPs, who make up over half of the new parliament.