Leo Docherty

Leo Docherty was born on 4 October 1976 in Glasgow and grew up in Gloucestershire. He studied Swahili and Hindi at SOAS, University of London between 1996 and 2000, before attending the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst the following year.{{cite web|url=https://www.faber.co.uk/tutors/leo-docherty/|title=About Leo|publisher=Faber |access-date=3 October 2018}} From 2001 to 2007 he served in the Scots Guards.{{cite web|url=https://www.aldershotconservatives.com/people/leo-docherty-mp|title=Leo Docherty MP|website=Aldershot Conservatives|access-date=31 July 2017|archive-date=16 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210516020253/https://www.aldershotconservatives.com/people/leo-docherty-mp|url-status=dead}} After being posted to London on ceremonial duties and a period spent in Germany, he served operationally in Iraq and Afghanistan as a British Army officer.

After leaving the army, he wrote about his first-hand account of the war in Afghanistan in his book Desert of Death, which was published by Faber in 2007. Living near Didcot, he created and worked as editor and publisher of Steppe magazine - a now defunct publication that covered the arts, culture, history, landscape and people of Central Asia.{{cite web|url=http://democratic.southoxon.gov.uk/mgDeclarationSubmissionPrintView.aspx?nobdr=1&UID=141&HID=42&FID=0&HPID=0|title=Register of interests|publisher=South Oxfordshire Council|access-date=3 October 2018}} He was appointed Director of the Conservative Middle East Council in 2010, a role in which he served until being elected as an MP.

Docherty stood successfully as the Conservative candidate in the Hagbourne ward of South Oxfordshire District Council in May 2011, standing down at the end of his four-year term when the wards were revised.{{cite web|url=http://www.electionscentre.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/South-Oxfordshire-1973-2011.pdf|title=South Oxfordshire Council Election Results 1973-2011|publisher= Plymouth University|access-date=3 October 2018}} He stood unsuccessfully as the Conservative candidate in the Wallingford division of Oxfordshire County Council in May 2017.{{cite web|url=https://mycouncil.oxfordshire.gov.uk/mgElectionAreaResults.aspx?ID=189|title=Election results for Wallingford|date=4 May 2017|publisher=Oxfordshire County Council|access-date=3 October 2018}}

File:Official portrait of Leo Docherty.jpg

Docherty unsuccessfully applied to be the Conservative candidate for the Labour Party held Oxford East constituency in 2014.{{cite news|title=Former Bicester mayor chosen as Conservative candidate for Oxford East|url=https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/11650520.Tories_select_candidate_to_fight_Oxford_East_constituency_in_general_election/|access-date=3 October 2018|work=Oxford Mail|date=6 December 2014}}

At the 2015 general election, Docherty stood in Caerphilly, coming third with 16.6% of the vote behind the incumbent Labour MP Wayne David and the UKIP candidate.{{cite web |title=Election Data 2015 |url=http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_2015.txt |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017112223/http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_2015.txt |archive-date=17 October 2015 |access-date=17 October 2015 |publisher=Electoral Calculus}}{{cite web |title=Caerphilly result |url=http://www.caerphilly.gov.uk/My-Council/Voting-and-elections/Election-Results/General-Election-2015-results/General-Election-2015-results-for-Caerphilly-const |access-date=21 September 2015 |website=General Election 2015 - Results for Caerphilly constituency |publisher=Caerphilly County Borough Council}}{{cite news |title=Caerphilly Parliamentary constituency |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/W07000076#election2015-logo |access-date=5 May 2015 |work=BBC News |department=Election 2015}}

In April 2017, he was selected as the Conservative candidate for Aldershot. The Financial Times called his selection "the highest-profile tussle over a candidate choice, [in which] the party leadership rejected a request from activists in Aldershot to be allowed to consider Daniel Hannan, the prominent Eurosceptic MEP, for the safe Tory seat".{{cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/8aeaf736-2c06-11e7-bc4b-5528796fe35c?mhq5j=e3|title=Tory central command keeps a tight leash on selections

|work=Financial Times|date=30 April 2017|access-date=9 June 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://www.conservativehome.com/parliament/2017/04/exclusive-the-third-candidate-shortlisted-in-aldershot-is-chris-brannigan.html |title=Exclusive: The third candidate shortlisted in Aldershot is Chris Brannigan |date=28 April 2017 |publisher=Conservative Home |access-date=8 June 2017}} At the snap 2017 general election, Docherty was elected to Parliament as MP for Aldershot with 55.1% of the vote and a majority of 11,518.{{cite web |title=UK Parliamentary election - Aldershot Constituency |url=http://www.rushmoor.gov.uk/article/9967/UK-Parliamentary-election---Aldershot-Constituency |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180126012533/http://www.rushmoor.gov.uk/article/9967/UK-Parliamentary-election---Aldershot-Constituency |archive-date=26 January 2018 |access-date=5 June 2017 |publisher=Rushmoor Borough Council}}

In the House of Commons he sat on the Defence Committee and Committees on Arms Export Controls (formerly Quadripartite Committee).{{cite web|title=Leo Docherty|url=https://www.parliament.uk/biographies/commons/leo-docherty/4600|website=Parliament UK|access-date=3 October 2018}}

He backed Boris Johnson in the 2019 Conservative Party leadership election.{{cite tweet|number=1146445147820961792|user=LeoDochertyUK|last=Docherty|first=Leo|title=It's time to #BackBoris - to deliver Brexit on 31st Oct, unite and inspire our great country and defeat Corbyn @BackBoris|date=3 July 2019|access-date=20 July 2019}} On 29 July 2019, Johnson appointed Docherty as an Assistant Government Whip.

In September 2019, Leo's brother Paddy Docherty wrote an open letter to The Guardian urging him to resign, writing: "Now I am simply appalled that this government, of which you are sadly a part, has become the principal threat to the lives and liberties of the people. Please do the decent thing, and resign".{{cite news |last1=Docherty |first1=Paddy |title=An open letter to my brother the Tory MP: resign from this rogue government |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/sep/03/open-letter-brother-resign-government-no-deal-brexit |newspaper=The Guardian|date=3 September 2019}}

At the 2019 general election, Docherty was re-elected as MP for Aldershot with an increased vote share of 58.4% and an increased majority of 16,698.{{Cite news |title=Aldershot parliamentary constituency - Election 2019 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/politics/constituencies/E14000530 |via=www.bbc.co.uk}}

On 21 April 2021 Docherty succeeded Johnny Mercer as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence People and Veterans.{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2021/04/20/johnny-mercer-brink-resigning-betrayal-troubles-troops/|title=Johnny Mercer sacked by text message after row over Northern Ireland veterans|work=The Telegraph|last1=Mendick|first1=Robert|last2=Fisher|first2=Lucy|date=20 April 2021|access-date=20 April 2021}} He became Minister for Defence People on 7 July 2022.{{cite web | url=https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/minister-for-defence-people | title=Minister for Defence People - GOV.UK }}{{Cite web |last=Eve |first=Carl |date=2022-07-07 |title=Plymouth MP dismissed as minister is now back in the cabinet |url=https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/news/plymouth-news/plymouth-mp-dismissed-veterans-minister-7305975 |access-date=2022-07-07 |website=PlymouthLive |language=en}}

On 26 March 2024, Docherty replaced James Heappey as Minister of State for the Armed Forces.{{Cite web |last=McDaid |first=Lucy |date=26 March 2024 |others=Political Correspondent, ITV News West Country |title=Outgoing Wells MP James Heappey quits as Armed Forces Minister |url=https://www.itv.com/news/westcountry/2024-03-26/outgoing-wells-mp-james-heappey-quits-as-armed-forces-minister |website=ITV News}} He was replaced as Minister of State for Europe by Nus Ghani.{{Cite web |title=Ministerial Appointments: 26 March 2024 |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ministerial-appointments-26-march-2024 |access-date=2024-03-26 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}}

In June 2024, Docherty was reselected as the Conservative candidate for Aldershot at the 2024 general election.{{Cite web |date=7 June 2024 |title=STATEMENT OF PERSONS NOMINATED, NOTICE OF POLL AND SITUATION OF POLLING STATIONS |url=https://www.rushmoor.gov.uk/media/5xqgtahv/statement-of-persons-notice-of-poll-combined-updated.pdf}} He was defeated by Alex Baker of the Labour Party amidst a strong nationwide swing away from the Conservatives.

As Chair of the Conservative Middle East Council and since serving as an MP, Docherty has frequently praised the work of the governments in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain and has been subject to some criticism from opposition MPs and journalists, such as Peter Oborne for his links and his failure to always declare his register of interests when speaking on the subject in Parliament. However, Docherty has denied any conflict of interest and, as Director of the Conservative Middle East Council, responded to criticism of donations received there as not having influenced decision-making within the group.{{cite news|title=Britain invokes spy clause to cover up payments to Bahrain |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/britain-invokes-spy-clause-to-cover-up-payments-to-bahrain-dlv00c66f|access-date=3 October 2018|work=The Times|date=22 September 2018}}{{cite news|title=Why is the Conservative Party ignoring Palestine?|url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/columns/why-uk-conservative-party-ignoring-palestine-cmec-focus-on-gulf-bahrain-uae-saudi-libya-israel-1824625298|access-date=3 October 2018|work=Middle East Eye|date=6 February 2018}}{{cite news|title=The Gulf business tycoons backing the Conservative Middle East Council|url=https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20160127-revealed-the-gulf-business-tycoons-backing-the-conservative-middle-east-council/|access-date=3 October 2018|work=Middle East Monitor|date=27 January 2016}} Docherty's trips were worth £26,893 in total and were the highest valued of any MP's trips during the year following the 2017 general election.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-45883411|title=MPs sign up for £2m of free overseas trips|date=18 October 2018|work=BBC News}}

He is married to Lucy Docherty and they have two children.{{cite web|url=https://www.leodocherty.org.uk/about-leo-docherty|title=About Leo|publisher=Personal website|access-date=3 October 2018}}

{{Notelist}}

• Desert of Death. A Soldier's Journey from Iraq to Afghanistan, Faber and Faber, London 2007, ISBN

978-0-571-23688-6

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Category:Living people

Category:UK MPs 2017–2019

Category:UK MPs 2019–2024

Category:Alumni of SOAS University of London

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Category:1976 births

Category:Scots Guards officers

Category:British Army personnel of the Iraq War

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Category:Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies

Category:Conservative Friends of Palestine