Johnny Mercer resigns as defence minister

Johnny Mercer has resigned as a defence minister, Downing Street has announced.

According to the BBC, Mr Mercer said he had been "forced" to offer to resign over the scope of a government law designed to protect veterans from unfounded prosecutions.

British soldiers who served in Northern Ireland are to be excluded from the bill, which MPs will debate on Wednesday. Mr Mercer said it was a "red line" for him that they should be covered too.

A No 10 spokesperson said Prime Minister Boris Johnson had "accepted" Mr Mercer's resignation and thanked him for his service as a minister. But posting a resignation letter on Twitter immediately afterwards, Mr Mercer said he had been "relieved of my responsibilities in government".