Britain | Bagehot

For some MPs Afghanistan is personal as well as political

The struggles of a group shaped by the conflict

THE FIRST two decades of this century saw the rise of a new type of politician, or perhaps a new version of an old type of politician: young MPs shaped by one of the most difficult environments in the world, Afghanistan. Johnny Mercer, a former commando, gave his maiden speech about a friend who had died in his arms. Several of his new colleagues—Tom Tugendhat and James Heappey on the Conservative benches and Dan Jarvis and Clive Lewis on the Labour ones—had also fought on the ground.

This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “The sun also sets”

Biden’s debacle: What it means for Afghanistan and America

From the August 21st 2021 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

More from Britain

Crew members during the commissioning of HMS Prince of Wales

Has the Royal Navy become too timid?

A new paper examines how its culture has changed

A pedestrian walks across the town square in Stevenage

A plan to reorganise local government in England runs into opposition

Turkeys vote against Christmas


David Lammy, Britain’s foreign secretary

David Lammy’s plan to shake up Britain’s Foreign Office

Diplomats will be tasked with growing the economy and cutting migration


Britain’s government has spooked markets and riled businesses

Tax rises were inevitable. Such a shaky start was not

Labour’s credibility trap

Who can believe Rachel Reeves?