WESTBURY MP, Andrew Murrison, has been made the Minister for Defence People following Prime Minister Rishi Sunak appointing him to the role on Sunday 30th October.
Dr Murrison said, “I’m delighted to be asked to be a defence minister again, especially given my strong constituency interest. Many residents have strong occupational or family ties to the armed forces and the area is home to a large veteran population, including me.”
It is Dr Murrison’s second stint as a defence minister having served at the Ministry of Defence a decade ago and subsequently at the Northern Ireland Office and the Foreign Office.
The MP, who was serving as a reservist in Finland when he got the call, has clocked up more than 40 years as a regular and reservist medical officer.
The welfare of defence people is close to his heart – he has a daughter in the Army, one in the Navy and his younger brother, Richard, is an Admiral. He has written the book on the Armed Forces Covenant and papers on mental health and prosthetics for the military community, which became government policy.
The role makes him responsible for areas including pay, pensions, compensation and mental health for the armed forces.
