A former special forces colonel, government minister Al Carns was this week on manouevres warning that the UK needs to be preparing for war with Russia.
“The shadow of war is at Europe’s door again. That’s the reality. We’ve got to be prepared to prevent it,” he said, in remarks that go beyond previous warnings by his superior, the defence secretary.
“As a whole society – what is their role if we get caught in an existential crisis, and what do they need to be aware they need to do and what they can’t do, and how do we rally the nation to support a armed campaign?”
It was blunt language from the middle-aged Scottish-born MP, who has had an remarkably rapid rise to his role of minister for the military.
Naturally for a politician with a background in the armed forces, there is speculation about whether he is a potential future leader – as with, at various points, previous colleagues from a service background before him.
This time, however, some governing party MPs think there could be a real prospect of Carns being a contender if and when the opportunity arises.
One of the reasons for that is that Carns has been engaged with politics for longer than it seems, as a former military adviser to multiple previous defence secretaries.
But there is also the danger of being over-promoted as a politician with a backstory colleagues think will appeal to the public – without enough thought of whether they have the track record and shrewdness to make it to the top.
Carns was born in Aberdeen, and educated in the state system, before joining the Royal Marines in 1999 at the age of 19. He advanced his career and was awarded the Military Cross in 2011 “for gallant and distinguished services in Afghanistan”.
It came as a surprise when he resigned from the armed forces after 24 years of service to run as an MP in Birmingham Selly Oak, just prior to he was due to be promoted to brigadier.
And in a sign he was immediately identified as a talent, the prime minister appointed him as a junior veterans minister straight after the 2024 election. He was promoted later that year to the more prominent position with a portfolio covering all the military.
With a commanding presence, Carns has been an occasional media performer for the government, and has been an sharp partisan operator when criticising rival parties over issues of national security.
He has also found time to set a new global benchmark this year along with former military colleagues by climbing Mount Everest in under five days without acclimatising on the mountain, using xenon gas.
His name was floated as a possible future leader in earnest around the time of a deputy contest last autumn, when his backers began sounding out MPs about a run for the job. That did not gain traction, with the prime minister's office strongly supporting another candidate.
Since then, profiles of Carns have begun to appear in the media, with one newspaper presenting him as the “Action Man” that some were trying to prevent from ousting the prime minister.
While some MPs think he could be prime ministerial timber, others think he is making himself appear overly eager when there is no vacancy at the top. There is also a apprehension about the meteoric ascent of a high flyer from outside politics.
“There’s no evidence that being senior in the military translates to being any good at politics any more than being a top prosecutor,” says one MP. “He is an unknown quantity.”
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