Former Marine Carns faces notebook crisis after joking he'd not join the Army
Armed Forces Minister Al Carns, who was famously asked whether he'd join the Army – despite his 24 years in the Royal Marines and ongoing role as a reservist – has received some humorous nudges encouraging him to switch his allegiance.
The saga began when Mr Carns was being questioned in the Commons by Reform UK MP Sarah Pochin, who, apparently unaware of his military record, asked him: "Would the minister himself join the British Army today if he was a young man again making a career choice?"
"No, I'd join the Royal Marines," was his reply.
Army doesn't give up on Carns
Despite his rebuff to the Army, the service was undeterred. A while later a folder was left on Mr Carns' desk with a Post-it note stuck to the cover.
"It's not too late to join! "Just visit jobs.army.mod.uk/apply and be the best!" the message said.
But that wasn't the end of the story as additional folders have now been left, accompanied by more notes urging Mr Carns to rethink his choices.
The notebook crisis
As Mr Carns explained on X: "More replies to my notebook crisis! Love it."
One said: "Join the NHS! Better than joining the Army. Just visit join.nhs.uk and help save lives!
Two other folders were also left on the minister's desk which presumably appealed to him a little more.
They were both from the Royal Navy – the Royal Marines' parent unit – with one sporting the Globe and Laurel, the corps' cap badge.
The Troubles Bill
The issue arose when Mrs Pochin and Mr Carns had been speaking during a debate about whether the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill had affected recruitment and retention to the Armed Forces.
Mr Carns told MPs there was no evidence to suggest it had had a negative effect.
In contrast, he said the number of people joining the Armed Forces was up 13% while the number of those leaving had reduced by 8% compared with September 2024.
Mr Carns also said it was incorrect to link the issue of Armed Forces recruitment and retention to the previous government's 2023 Northern Ireland Legacy Act, which Labour has committed to repeal and replace.
The Government is ending an immunity scheme introduced as part of the Legacy Act, which was ruled unlawful in the courts.
The scheme would have allowed perpetrators of Troubles-related crimes to be given immunity from prosecution in exchange for co-operation with a truth recovery body.
Fears of future prosecution
But critics of the Troubles Bill, which the Government wants to introduce instead, believe this could open the way for veterans to be prosecuted.
Seven former senior officers warned of a "grim" fallout from the bill, which they said could weaken UK special forces.
Writing in the Telegraph, the officers warned that peacetime human rights regimes "scapegoat the frontline" and a "democracy that won't back its warriors won't long endure".
"In this Troubles Bill, the Government is complicit in this war on our Armed Forces," they concluded.
In light of this, Mrs Pochin asked Mr Carns whether he'd join up today amid "the risk of future prosecutions for simply following orders".
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