'Liz Truss laughed when she fired me,' says Johnny Mercer who says it led to depression

Johnny Mercer, who served as veterans minister under Boris Johnson, said Ms Truss had lost her authority over the Tory Party as calls grew for her to retire

Johnny Mercer has spoken about the impact his dismissal had on him (

Image: NurPhoto/PA images

A former minister says Liz Truss laughed at him when she sacked him - saying it was a 'punch' that sent him into depression.

Johnny Mercer, who served as veterans minister under Boris Johnson, said Ms Truss had lost her authority over the Conservative Party as calls grew for her to step down.

Mr. Mercer said in an interview for the Men's Health Talking Heads series by Alastair Campbell, "When it happened, it was such a punch. I remember Liz laughing a little while she was doing it. /p>

"She was giggling and looking at the floor and I was just like, 'I'm a bitch to believe these guys,' and it sucked me in.

"I was thinking, 'I've given seven years of my life to this, put my family to the test for this, and you're laughing at me.'

"I tried to get rid of it, went home, got fucked, all those things you shouldn't do, but the thing about depression is that it happens. slips on the back of your head."

Mr. Mercer said Liz Truss had lost her authority over the Conservative Party

He said the prime minister broke a promise she made during her leadership campaign not to downgrade veterans affairs if she got the top job.

As soon as Mrs. Truss took office on September 6, she removed him from office and incorporated her responsibility for veterans care into James Heappey's role as Minister of Defence.< /p>

Mr. Mercer, a former British Army officer whose military career included several tours in Afghanistan, said while he felt he had made progress for former servicemen, Ms Truss's decision made him doubt of his time in politics.

"It just went away and it makes you think 'why did I bother doing that?'" he said.

Mr. Mercer said he no longer identified with the Conservative Party after the leadership change under Ms Truss.

"The truth is, the Conservative Party is no longer a Conservative Party," he said.