28 Facts About Richard Kemp

Richard Justin Kemp was born on 14 April 1959 and is a retired British Army officer who served from 1977 to 2006.

Richard Kemp has spoken on a range of social and political issues, including the British armed forces, the Middle East, and the European Union.

Richard Kemp is the head of the UK Friends of the Association for the Wellbeing of Israel's Soldiers, the UK branch of AWIS, an Israeli organisation managed by the Israel Defense Forces and headed by General Yoram Yair.

Richard Kemp was educated at Colchester Royal Grammar School before serving as a soldier and officer in the Royal Anglian Regiment from 1977 to 2006.

Richard Kemp was promoted to the rank of lieutenant in 1980 and Captain in 1985.

Richard Kemp later became a training instructor at Bassingbourn before a posting to the 2nd Battalion as the second in command of a company, Milan Platoon commander, and then battle group operations officer, serving in several locations across the world, including a tour as part of UNFICYP in Cyprus.

Richard Kemp then took over the Armoured Infantry Training and Advisory Team based at Hohne and Sennelager, and held a staff appointment in the Ministry of Defence.

Richard Kemp was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel in 1997 and commanded the 1st Battalion of the Royal Anglian Regiment in Oakington and Derry from 1998 to 2000.

Richard Kemp was attached to the Cabinet Office from 2001 to 2006, during which time he was briefly Commander of Operation Fingal in Afghanistan with approximately 300 soldiers under his command.

Richard Kemp's responsibilities included Iraq, and he made several visits to Baghdad, Fallujah and Mosul.

Richard Kemp was promoted to the rank of colonel on 30 June 2004 and retired from the army on 30 March 2006.

Richard Kemp has repeatedly spoken out against the investigation and prosecution of British soldiers for suspected criminal acts in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as the opening of new investigations relating to the actions of British soldiers in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, including those relating to Bloody Sunday.

Richard Kemp is a member of the advisory board of Veterans for Britain, which campaigned strongly during the 2016 referendum for the UK to leave the European Union.

In 2015, Richard Kemp spoke out in support of granting asylum in the UK to Afghan interpreters who had worked with British armed forces.

Richard Kemp criticised the findings of the 2014 UN Commission of Inquiry Report on Gaza, calling it "flawed and dangerous".

Special Rapporteur on Palestine, who accused Richard Kemp of ignoring and misinterpreting international law.

Richard Kemp was involved in the "Honour the Brave" campaign led by the Daily Mirror in 2007 and 2008 to recognise the sacrifice of British troops killed or wounded in action by the award of a medal similar to the US Purple Heart.

In October 2013 British media reported that Richard Kemp may be on an Al-Qaeda death list.

Richard Kemp featured alongside others who have spoken out against Islamist terrorism on a video released by the Al Qaeda group al-Shabaab, which was responsible for an attack on a Nairobi shopping mall in 2013.

The video included a clip from the BBC TV programme HARDtalk of Richard Kemp condemning the murder of Fusilier Drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich.

Richard Kemp has consistently criticised efforts by the British Army to increase gender and ethnic diversity.

Richard Kemp has defended the continued enlistment of 16 and 17-year olds by the British armed forces, despite criticism of the policy from child rights organisations, arguing that the recruitment policy "unquestionably boosts the quality and fighting effectiveness of the armed forces".

On 11 March 2015 Richard Kemp visited the University of Sydney to deliver a lecture on "Ethical Dilemmas of Military Tactics" and the complexities in dealing with violent non-state actors such as ISIL.

On 23 July 2018, The Daily Telegraph published an article by Richard Kemp which argued that after its departure from the European Union, Britain should re-instate the death penalty for terrorism suspects.

In 2023, Richard Kemp expressed support for Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip during the Gaza war.

Richard Kemp was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire, Military Division, on 25 April 1994 in recognition of his intelligence work in Northern Ireland in 1993, and was awarded the Queen's Commendation for Bravery for service as a commander in the United Nations Protection Force in Bosnia in 1994.

Richard Kemp was promoted Commander of the Order of the British Empire, Military Division, in the New Year Honours 2006.

Richard Kemp received an honorary doctorate from Bar-Ilan University in 2015.