Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Meg Hill

Tory MP Johnny Mercer reveals he travelled to Kyiv in secret

PA Archive

Conservative MP Johnny Mercer secretly travelled to Ukraine’s capital Kyiv in recent days, he has revealed.

On Friday night, Mr Mercer – who is a former veterans minister – said he had boarded a plane to Krakow “a week ago” and headed back to the West on Wednesday.

The Plymouth Moor View MP tweeted photographs of himself visiting injured people in hospital, adding he had witnessed “total carnage” alongside demonstrations of “incredible human spirit”.

Mr Mercer told The Times: “I didn’t tell anyone, I just disappeared. I decided it was the right thing to do.”

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, he said he made the decision to travel after receiving an invitation from a former MP in the Donetsk region.

Government advice warns against travelling to the country. Mr Mercer is the first UK MP to visit the country’s capital since the outbreak of war.

Conservative MP Adam Holloway was criticised by Downing Street last week for visiting a different part of Ukraine.

Mr Mercer said he also visited Lviv, where he said he met with local politicians.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.