Mercer and Ashworth debate compromise and trust in Westminster

Former Conservative minister Johnny Mercer and former Labour shadow minister Jonathan Ashworth set out rival views on compromise and trust in Westminster during a televised debate. The discussion moved between defence spending, Gaza, veterans policy, party discipline and the pressures that push MPs to choose loyalty over personal principle.

Mr Ashworth said he had considered resigning over Labour's position on Gaza. He called the party's refusal to call for a ceasefire 'frankly an abysmal position' and said he could not look constituents in the face. But he did not resign because it was the run-up to a general election, and he wanted to remove the Conservatives after 14 years. He described the decision as a utilitarian calculation, adding that divided parties do not tend to win elections.

Mr Mercer said he took a different route. He resigned from government when he believed the Conservatives would not fulfil manifesto commitments on Northern Ireland veterans. He said he later achieved what he wanted through the Legacy Bill. He argued that politicians should stand up on clear moral conscience issues, even if that means leaving office. He also cited the case of someone who left on a point of principle over defence spending targets only to take another position, saying it made principles look flexible.

The debate examined whether most politicians are in public life to get things done. Mr Mercer said politics contained people who want to get stuff done and people who want to be someone, and that the balance had become skewed during his time. He described Westminster as a place that can change people and said the public loses trust when election promises are not kept. He also said the media had a role in turning politics into a reality TV show.

Mr Ashworth said most politicians do want to get things done, though some are swept away by the perceived glamour of the job. He argued that achieving change usually requires being part of a team and making awkward compromises. He pointed to cross-party work with the then Conservative health secretary Jeremy Hunt on funding and a scheme for children of alcoholics, which followed a personal speech he made in Parliament about his father. He said the value of that work lay in its authenticity.

The exchange also touched on defence spending. The debate referenced Keir Starmer's commitment to NATO to reach 3.5% of GDP by 2035. It noted that a spending review next year would set out a time frame to get to 3%, but that it was not yet clear whether that target would be met by 2030. It also referenced John Healey's warning that the UK was not meeting the moment.

Both former frontbenchers agreed that trust in politics is damaged when voters believe politicians say one thing and do another. Their disagreement was over how best to respond. Mr Ashworth stressed the compromises needed to win power and deliver for constituents, while Mr Mercer stressed the importance of resigning when a clear red line is crossed. The debate offered no resolution, but it set out two competing accounts of how Westminster works and why the public has grown sceptical.