HERE is a man facing an embar­rassing period of backtracking.

Our photographer Simon Lamrock caught Johnny Mercer leaving the cabinet office shortly after the PM called the election last Wednesday.

Just days earlier the Tory minister for veterans’ affairs and former army officer had boldly stated that a National Service policy should not be reinstated by a Conservative government.

“Being in the military is very different now, it’s a very technical role and it’s not a social movement,” he said. “It’s a professional ability to defend the nation, to fight, to operate as formed units.

“I’m not sure it would be a good idea. Personally, it doesn’t chime with my experience of the social change we’re trying to improve politically.”

And yet, shortly after Mr Mercer was pictured leaving the cabinet office after Rishi Sunak called the election, the govern­ment announced national service as a key policy in the party’s general election campaign.

Now Mr Mercer has backtracked: “Anything that binds communities together to give young people an opportun­ity to serve and be part of something bigger than them­selves, to teach them values and ethos I had when I was a young man, I think it’s brilliant.”