Rayleigh and Wickford MP Mark Francois has been promoted in Prime Minister David Cameron’s reshuffle to become Minister of State for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans (DPWV) at the Ministry of Defence. Mark takes up his new appointment with immediate effect.
Mark’s father, Reginald Francois, served in the Royal Navy in the Second World War and Mark served as a TA infantry officer in the local Royal Anglian Regiment, during the Cold War. As Minister for Personnel and Veterans, Mark will now be responsible for Armed Forces personnel and welfare issues and for liaising with veteran’s groups such as the Royal British Legion and other military charities, including Help for Heroes.
Commenting on his new appointment, Mark Francois said:
“As someone who has served in the Armed Forces and who has always believed it is important to commemorate the sacrifices of those who have served so that we can be free, I am honoured to have been given this appointment by the Prime Minister. Our Armed Forces are the best in the world and all of us in this country owe a debt to them and to our Veterans and I will do my best to make sure that debt is not forgotten. As the Patron of the Rayleigh branch of the Royal British Legion I have enjoyed dealing with some of these issues as a constituency MP for years and I am delighted that I will now be doing so on behalf of the Ministry of Defence and Her Majesty’s Government.”