Alistair Carns, a former Royal Marine commando and now Labour veterans minister, is being quietly discussed as a potential future leadership contender. One Conservative MP described him as “one of the most capable individuals on the Labour benches” who “would be an absolute nightmare to face”.
Carns, who served as military adviser to three defence secretaries, resigned from the armed forces to run as a Labour candidate in 2024, winning the safe seat of Birmingham Selly Oak. He was appointed minister for the armed forces in September 2025 and has earned praise for his stewardship of a portfolio covering homeland defence and support for Ukraine.
His emergence as a leadership prospect reflects growing impatience among the 2024 intake of Labour MPs, many of whom are keen for a fresh face. One newly elected MP said: “Why shouldn’t someone like Al Carns have a chance? There are people who have worked in finance, tech, the NHS and a significant number who were in the armed forces.”
However, a Labour MP from a previous intake questioned Carns’s economic credentials, saying: “He’s perfectly nice, but what is his thinking on the NHS, childcare or climate? In some ways he reflects the approach of having candidates who could tick boxes at election time.”
Supporters argue that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is likely to remain in post until after the May elections, giving Carns time to grow in confidence and profile. One 2024 colleague noted: “If we are looking at two years’ time, there may be people we are not even talking about now.”
