Rayleigh and Wickford MP, Mark Francois, who served as a TA Infantry Officer in the local Royal Anglian Regiment during the Cold War, has been promoted to become Minister of State for the Armed Forces in Prime Minister David Cameron’s latest reshuffle.
The Minister for the Armed Forces – traditionally referred to in the Department as Min(AF) – is the number two Minister in the Department and, in effect, the Secretary of State’s ‘right hand man’.
In this role Mark will have day to day responsibility for operations of the Armed Forces and related issues, reporting directly to the Secretary of State. Mark’s previous role in the Department as Veterans’ Minister has now been taken over by Anna Soubry MP.
Commenting on his new responsibilities Mark said:
“As my father served in the Royal Navy and was a D-Day Veteran, and as I served in the Territorial Army, I am honoured to have been appointed Minister of State for the Armed Forces. Our Armed Forces represent some of the very best aspects of British society and it is a privilege to have Ministerial responsibility for them. I have very much enjoyed my time as Veterans’ Minister and I will continue to take an interest in Veterans’ issues but my new focus will now be on making sure that the Armed Forces are in good shape to defend our freedom for years to come.”