Fred Thomas

Frederick Jacob Theseus Thomas He was born to a civil servant and a teacher, and has four siblings. He was educated at Winchester College and studied politics, religion and ethics at King's College London.

Military service Thomas was commissioned in the Royal Marines on 5 September 2016, and was appointed to the trained strength on 13 December 2018 with the rank of lieutenant. He served as a troop commander in 40 Commando from 2018 to 2020. He was second in command of a squadron in 43 Commando from 2020 to 2022.

Political career Thomas was one of fourteen former services personnel standing as Labour candidates in the 2024 general election and stood against Conservative MP Johnny Mercer in Plymouth Moor View.

Mercer accused Thomas of exaggerating his military record over a profile in the Guardian newspaper which stated Thomas had told the journalist he had "served in combat missions". Mercer - himself a combat veteran from the War in Afghanistan - said Thomas had never served in combat, and was wrong to claim he had. Al Carns, a decorated former colonel and fellow Labour Party Candidate in the election, defended Thomas by stating that he had served in high-risk areas and that an argument between veterans about their service was not what voters wanted. Alternately, Sir Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary at the time of the alleged "service in combat" supported Mercer, his fellow Conservative, stating he knew exactly what Thomas had done during his time in the Royal Marines and that Thomas had never served in combat as he claimed.

Thomas said he could not share details due to the sensitive nature of his work but cited a certificate highlighting his operational experience, however the Labour Party later claimed that Thomas's words had been "misreported" and blamed the journalist for the mistake. They did not clarify why Thomas or the Labour Party had not corrected this mistake for 10 months, even when actively publicising the article. At the election, Thomas was elected as MP for Plymouth Moor View with 17,665 votes (41.2%), a majority of 5,604 over Mercer.

In October 2024, Thomas was elected to the Defence Select Committee and is also co-chair of the All-party parliamentary group (APPG) on Defence Technology, which aims to improve understanding of the UK's defence technology sector.

Thomas has been a strong advocate of support for Ukraine and in September 2024 visited Kyiv with UK Friends of Ukraine to participate in the Yalta European Strategy Conference.

Thomas has campaigned for a new A&E department at Derriford Hospital in his constituency of Plymouth Moor View. He wrote to Boris Johnson, asking for an apology for his Government's "broken promises" and has asked the Deputy Prime Minister about Derriford in PMQs, held meetings with Health Ministers, and joined staff on an A&E shift.

In 2024 Thomas launched the "Football For All" campaign with the Argyle Community Trust, Plymouth Argyle F.C.’s charity, to provide free football for children. He met with officials to push for better funding and hosted a roundtable on improving access to sport.

Thomas has taken a keen interest in SEND provision, due to the need for improvements in Plymouth Moor View. Thomas’ first visit as an MP was to Mill Ford special needs school in Plymouth. He spoke in a Westminster Hall debate on SEND provision, asking the Minister to “help expand capacity at Plymouth Moor View’s special schools”.