A former special forces colonel, minister of state Al Carns was this week on manouevres warning that the UK must ready itself for war with Russia.
“The threat of conflict is knocking on 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 boss, 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 military endeavour?”
It was stark 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 history of service 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 ruling party MPs think there could be a real prospect of Carns being a contender if and when the opportunity presents itself.
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 resonate with the public – without enough consideration of whether they have the experience and shrewdness to make it to the top.
Carns was born in Aberdeen, and state educated, before enlisting in the Royal Marines in 1999 at the age of 19. He rose through the ranks and was awarded the Military Cross in 2011 “for gallant and distinguished services in Afghanistan”.
It came as a surprise when he left the armed forces after 24 years of service to stand 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 minister for veterans affairs straight after the 2024 election. He was elevated 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 putting pressure on rival parties over issues of national security.
He has also found time to break a world record this year along with former military colleagues by climbing Mount Everest in under five days without acclimatising on the mountain, aided by xenon gas.
His name was floated as a possible future leader seriously around the time of a deputy contest last autumn, when his backers began canvassing colleagues about a run for the job. That failed to get off the ground, with the prime minister's office firmly backing 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 leadership material, others think he is making himself appear too ambitious when there is no opening at the top. There is also a apprehension about the rapid rise of a star performer 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 completely untested.”
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