31 Facts About Patrick Mercer

Patrick John Mercer was born on 26 June 1956 and is a British author and former politician.

Patrick Mercer was elected as a Conservative in the 2001 general election, until resigning the party's parliamentary whip in May 2013 following questions surrounding paid advocacy, and was an Independent MP representing the constituency of Newark in Parliament until his resignation at the end of April 2014 when a Standards Committee report recommended suspending him for six months for "sustained and pervasive breach of the house's rules".

Patrick Mercer was Conservative shadow homeland security minister from 2003 to 2007, when David Cameron forced him to resign after he had made remarks about racism which Cameron found unacceptable.

Patrick Mercer has to date written four military novels and is a patron of the Victoria Cross Trust.

Patrick Mercer's mother was born in Lincolnshire and his father was trained for the priesthood at Kelham Theological College near Newark.

Patrick Mercer was educated at The King's School, Chester, and Exeter College, Oxford, where he read history.

Patrick Mercer was later commissioned after training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

Patrick Mercer followed his father, who saw wartime service in the Sherwood Foresters, into the British Army.

Patrick Mercer was commissioned into the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment on 8 March 1975 as a second lieutenant.

Patrick Mercer was promoted to captain on 8 September 1981, and to major on 30 September 1988.

Patrick Mercer served at both the Staff College, Camberley, and the Army's University at Cranfield.

Patrick Mercer was Mentioned in Despatches in 1983 for "gallant and distinguished service in Northern Ireland during the period 1 November 1982 to 31 January 1983".

Patrick Mercer was made an MBE on 12 October 1993 "in recognition of distinguished service in Northern Ireland".

Patrick Mercer was made an OBE on 13 May 1997 "in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in the former Yugoslavia during the period 21 June to 20 December 1996".

Patrick Mercer left the Army in 1999 as a colonel, Patrick Mercer retired from the army on 1 September 1999, his last posting having been as head of communications and strategy at the Army Training and Recruiting Agency.

On being selected as Conservative candidate in Newark, Patrick Mercer left the BBC and became a freelance journalist writing for The Daily Telegraph.

Patrick Mercer continued to contribute to radio, television, and print media, mainly on security and defence issues, and in The House magazine in 2009 his profession was stated as Journalist.

Patrick Mercer was first elected to Parliament as the member for Newark at the 2001 general election, defeating the Labour incumbent, Fiona Jones, overturning a majority of 3,000 and creating a majority of just over 4,000.

Patrick Mercer backed Iain Duncan Smith over Kenneth Clarke in the 2001 Conservative leadership election.

Patrick Mercer increased his majority in Newark to 6,464 at the 2005 general election.

In December 2008, Patrick Mercer was appointed as Chairman of the House of Commons Sub-Committee on Counter-Terrorism, to further his work as a member of the Home Affairs Select Committee.

In March 2009 Patrick Mercer volunteered for three days at a charity named Save the Family, learning and helping displaced families as part of a programme devised by Iain Duncan Smith.

In May 2011, Patrick Mercer was appointed with Lord Ashcroft to review the future of the military bases in Cyprus.

In October 2011, Patrick Mercer supported a failed bid by the Everyday Champions Church to open a free school in his constituency.

Patrick Mercer resigned the Conservative Party whip on 31 May 2013 following an investigation by The Daily Telegraph and BBC's Panorama caught him on camera accepting payment for lobbying.

In June 2013, less than two weeks after Patrick Mercer had resigned the party whip, it was reported that in talking to an undercover reporter he had described a meeting with a young Israeli woman who said she was a soldier.

Patrick Mercer then spoke to Jewish News and apologised unreservedly for any offence he had caused to the Jewish community by his "stupid remark".

On 29 April 2014, after seeing a Commons Select Committee on Standards report into his conduct, due to be published on 1 May, calling for him to be barred from Parliament for six months, Patrick Mercer announced he would resign his seat.

Patrick Mercer was appointed to the Chiltern Hundreds the next day, making his resignation effective.

Patrick Mercer had failed to register monies received properly; to deposit the contract he signed to provide services; and to declare a relevant interest when tabling parliamentary questions, tabling an early-day motion, making approaches to other MPs, and when speaking at a meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group.

Patrick Mercer was criticised for "repeatedly denigrating fellow Members both individually and collectively".