A vocal supporter for Ukraine in Parliament, the former MP is now fighting the Russians on the frontline
Colonel Richard Kemp
Published 01 March 2026
At a time when the misdemeanours of so many current and former politicians has dragged public esteem for British politics to record lows, it is gratifying to find a long-serving ex-MP putting his money where his mouth is by signing up for war service in Ukraine.
Jack Lopresti, who represented Filton and Bradley Stoke for the Conservatives from 2010 until he lost the seat in 2024, joined the International Legion – a formation of the Ukrainian armed forces – in November 2024. And more recently, just last month, it was announced he is serving with the Azov Brigade, a volunteer force that attracted controversy due to its far-Right origins, but is now understood to be fully integrated into Ukraine’s armed forces.
Lopresti, who was a reservist with the Royal Artillery, was vocal in Parliament about defence spending, Nato commitments and the need to deter Russian aggression. He has been a strong advocate for supporting Kyiv in its fight against Putin since the full-scale invasion began four years ago this week.
The Ukrainian war has seen no shortage of statements of solidarity from European capitals; but comparatively few elected politicians have been prepared to share the burdens borne by soldiers on the frontline in that or any other war.
There are exceptions. Remarkably, Charles Goodson-Wickes, the former Conservative MP for Wimbledon, fought with the 7th Armoured Brigade in the 1991 Gulf War while still in office, the only MP to have done so since the Second World War.
Only a handful of current MPs, including Labour’s Mike Tapp and Dan Jarvis, saw regular military service before getting elected. That is hardly surprising given the minuscule size of the armed forces today.
But perhaps our national defences would be in a less parlous state if the number of veterans that reached the top end of government came somewhere close to the tally of human rights lawyers, life-long political groupies and financiers.
Of course, that was once the case. Winston Churchill, Clement Attlee, Anthony Eden, Harold Macmillan, Jim Callaghan and Edward Heath all saw combat. Margaret Thatcher did not, but by her side was a man who had: her husband Denis.
All of them maintained strong defences, which then began a long and disastrous downward spiral under John Major and his successors as prime ministers, none of whom served in the armed forces, and the same is true of most of their cabinet ministers, which may help account for the wilful neglect of our nation’s defences.
This is not just about starvation of funding and strategic ineptitude, but also the abject failure to protect serving soldiers and veterans from predatory lawyers who have repeatedly sought to hound them through the courts.
We have seen aged former soldiers dragged into the dock for alleged offences half a century ago in Northern Ireland while IRA terrorists were handed “letters of comfort” to keep them at liberty.
This Government intends to repeal and replace woefully belated Conservative legislation that granted conditional immunity and prevented vexatious prosecutions. I don’t know of any other country in history that has allowed its own serving and retired troops to be thrown so willingly to the wolves, in many cases as a result of obvious political activism.
Would all this have happened had there been more former servicemen in the upper echelons of government? I don’t for a moment suggest that combat experience is a prerequisite for parliamentary service. Indeed a life in the armed forces, with its demands for conformity and discouragement of out-of-the-box thinking, can sometimes work to the detriment of essential political pragmatism.
But we should salute Jack Lopresti, and I suspect that, as well as his direct contribution to our Ukrainian ally, we would also benefit were he to return to politics with hard experience of this war under his belt.
The thinking in the corridors of power is somewhat different. Despite the big talk about coalitions of the willing and the like, the timorous response of No 10 when asked if the Prime Minister supported Lopresti’s decision to serve in the Ukrainian army is telling: “We advise against travel to Ukraine.”
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/03/01/jack-lopresti-ukraine-army-service-politician/
I salute you Jack.
Keep safe man!
Comment from :
Tom Lockhart
Did Starmer really, really say that when asked about Lopresti’s Ukrainian service? Does our PM actually have a heartbeat? Is he a genuine human? Is that the best he could manage? He’s a bit like that irritating hologram from Red Dwarf, Arnold Rimmer!! More importantly, which MP would play the ship’s cat? Farage, pour moi…
Andriy Dreschert
God bless this brave gentleman.
Ruth Nares
I join in in saluting Jack Lopresti. A better than usual piece from Kemp.
A random User
Good article.
I should point out that Charles Goodson-Wickes travelled to Iraq as a Medic. He didn’t fight for his country, though his work is no less honourable.
Jack Lepresti is taking bravery to a new level. Or perhaps an old level of WW1 and WW2. Casualty rates in Ukraine are orders of magnitude higher than in Afghanistan or Iraq, though still an order of magnitude lower than for Russia.
Nigel Keegan
Reply to A random User
Thank you for denigrating his service. The Army’s most decorated soldier was a Medical Officer, Captain Noel Chavasse MC VC and Bar. No doubt your own record is comparable.
Michael Holsgrove
Perhaps 18 months national service in a frontline unit should be compulsory for anyone who wishes to stand as an MP?
H M Adames
Reply to Michael Holsgrove
How true, but not only for anyone who plans to stand for an MP. How about compulsorily conscription for all boys over 17 without a job. It might make them into Men and give them a grounding in life?
James Peck
You fail to mention Neville Chamberlain who fought in WW1 and by all accounts was a very brave man. Some would say braver still in sacrificing himself politically by appeasement to give Britain a few more months to rearm and prepare to fight.
Neil Jefferies
I have been thanked for my service in the US. Not once in the UK. However, I have been investigated twice for an incident in NI. At the time by the RUC and SIB and then again in 2018. Cleared both times but I’m thinking third time lucky for the bureaucrats.
Stay safe Jack. You’re a far better man than anyone in this terrible government.
Bristol Ted
I miss Jack. He was always a responsive and active local MP for us and was replaced by the abominable LibDem, Claire Young. I hope to see him back one day.
Arthur Pewty
The US has Memorial Day. On that day, veterans are feted, recognised, and get free entry to national monuments. They get, all year, free access to many facilities. If an American learns that you served (even me, for the RAF), the immediate response is ‘thank you for your service’.
We have a Veterans Minister. We march on Remembrance Day. We have been given a little website that gives us discount on certain products, but costs money to access. But at no point do we feel ‘valued’ (other than the nice comments when we are at the Cenotaph).
In parallel, the Government hunts down every veteran who ‘might’ have done something nasty to an enemy (who, let’s not forget, was trying to kill us). We are pursued through the courts. The active military is woefully underfunded. The kit is old.
The military has a ‘can do’ attitude.
This Government has a ‘must not be able to do’ attitude. No wonder Starmer hated the idea of us being exposed on the world stage as weaker.
Susan Lundie
The timorous response of No 10 when asked if the Prime Minister supported Lopresti’s decision to serve in the Ukrainian army is telling: “We advise against travel to Ukraine.” 🙄😏😣😀😁😁. Isn’t that absolutely typical of the wooden top PM 2TK?
Lord help us. Has ANYONE pointed out to the PM and his cabal of male and female lawyerly thugs that the first priority of any government is the defence of the realm?
Hilary Deighton
Thank you for an apposite article. A heartfelt salute to the courage and honour of Jack Lopresti for answering the call of the vital war of good against evil forced upon Ukraine, God be with him and his brothers-in-arms. Our current so-called government shames and betrays us.
Great comment Hilary!
But let’s be fair on Sir Kier. He has in fact stepped up the U.K.’s support for Ukraine.
Only Germany contributes more. But their GDP is much bigger than ours.