Who is Al Carns – the management race underdog who dodged dying extra occasions than he can rely

As the Labour leadership race heats up, Al Carns, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces, is reportedly preparing to ‘throw his hat in the ring’ – and it seems he’s not one to underestimate

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While some big names are being tossed around ahead of a potential Labour leadership battle, there’s one that may take some voters by surprise.

Al Carns is a relatively fresh face in Westminster, having made his maiden speech in the summer of 2024. But while he may not have years of parliamentary experience under his belt, the 46-year-old father of three has led a fascinating life, surviving multiple brushes with death during his stint in the military, before surprising friends with his unexpected dive into left-wing politics.

Although Angela Rayner, Wes Streeting and Andy Burnham are looking like the ones to beat, should Sir Keir Starmer release his determined grip on Number 10, there are those who believe Scotsman Carns would make for a formidable Labour leader – not to mention a “nightmare” for the Tories.

READ MORE: Inside life of Andy Burnham from Blind Date wife and wild make-up rumours to PM rival

A parliamentary insider suggested this week that Carns “would throw his hat in the ring should someone trigger a race,” adding: “Al Carns has said he is getting on with doing his job, but if someone fires the starting gun, he isn’t afraid of gunfire.”

But who is the unlikely ‘dark horse’ of the party who has left opponents shaking in their boots?

Marines career

Unlike many career politicians, Carns didn’t cut his teeth in white-collar fields. At the age of 19, the working-class lad joined the military, kickstarting a decorated 24-year career in the services, which saw him undertake four tours in Afghanistan. Opening up about this pivotal turning point in November 2025, Cams told The Times: “I’m from a tough, working-class area so it was a case of either working on the rigs or joining the military so I chose the hardest route – the marines.”

The action man, who grew up on a council estate in Aberdeen, says the skills he picked up during his years in service were “invaluable” but there were dangers along the way, and he says he’s been “shot at point blank range more times than I can remember”. He added: “I’ve lost so many friends in the military to mines, bombs and snipers that I appreciate the need to live life to the fullest.”

Carns shared how, while deployed to the Gulf in the early 2000s, he was almost sucked into a ship propeller during a botched mission, which saw him tumbling into the water and getting crushed against the vessel. He recalled: “I remember the sound of the propeller, and then I got spewed out about 250 metres behind the ship, full of seawater, coughing and spluttering.” Other hair-raising incidents saw a grenade blow his night vision goggles off, and a bullet rip through his backpack.

After being mentioned in dispatches for bravery in 2007, Carns was awarded the Military Cross for gallantry in 2022, followed by an OBE for exceptional operational service in 2022. Last year, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for leadership on operations.

Rise in politics

In 2024, Carns left the military behind to put himself forward as a Labour candidate in the general election, surprising pals who’d always known him to vote Conservative. Explaining his decision in an interview with The Independent at the time, Carns said: “Labour governments have consistently funded defence more than the Conservatives. I have worked for three defence secretaries in the national security structure, and I feel this gives me the ability to put plans into practice.”

In July of that year, he was elected MP for Birmingham Selly Oak, earning 17,371 votes (45.2 per cent) and a majority of 11,537. As Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces, Carns has repeatedly pushed for the importance of security and, in a recent piece for the New Statesman, stressed the importance of “action” over “slogans, strategies, press releases or commissions”.

Offering an insight into what his style of leadership might look like, Carns wrote: “Too many people in this country work hard and still feel like they’re losing. The first duty of any government is to provide security. Not just military security, but economic security, energy security, border security, community security and the basic security that if you work hard in the UK, your life shouldn’t constantly feel fragile.”

Voting record

Carns has “generally voted for coordinated border security, new immigration crime offences, and scrapping the Rwanda deportation scheme” when it came to foreign policy and defence, according to They Work For You.

When it comes to social issues, he has “voted for measures that increased LGBT+ rights and social equality” and has “generally voted for shifting the balance of employment rights towards employees”.

With housing, he has “consistently voted for increasing stamp duty”, and “for more rights for tenants and regulation on landlords”. He has also “voted for allowing terminally ill people to be given assistance to end their life”.

Gruelling Everest challenge

Carns made history by setting a new record with a speedy ascent of Everest last year, alongside other veterans. The team climbed the mountain in just five days flat. Usually, climbers spent weeks acclimatising to the conditions before summiting.

While not the quickest Everest time overall, this marked the fastest Everest ascent without first acclimatising in the Himalayas. Describing some of the perils he faced along the way, Carns told PoliticsHome: “We got hit by an avalanche up to camp one, which was quite interesting.”

Along the route, they were faced with the haunting reminders of climbers who didn’t make it. Carns said: “There was a frozen body just to our left, who’d sat down the night before, fully in his summit suit with his rucksack on. He’d have taken a rest and fallen asleep or something and frozen to death.”

He continued: “This mission was to promote veterans in a positive light, and try and raise resources for veterans’ charities. I was really proud to be amongst a great team who sat with a mission and focused solely on achieving it. The breaking records isn’t a huge deal to me, but it makes me proud to be British – to know that myself and three other Brits cracked that mission in seven days from London and got back in time for Sunday lunch.”

But the challenge wasn’t without controversy. As per rules laid out by Nepal’s Department of Tourism, climbers must declare equipment, medication and substances used during Everest climbs/ Upon his return, Carns was forced to deny that they were under investigation for using xenon gas, which stops altitude sickness, for their quick ascent, later clarifying that they’d used xenon in Germany weeks before their mission began.

‘Dark horse’ that could scare Tories

In February of this year, a Conservative MP spoke with The Guardian about Carns being a “decisive man of action”, noting: “He’s one of the most capable individuals on the Labour benches and would be an absolute nightmare to face.”

However, as impressive as Carns may be, there are those who wonder how he might fare when faced with more mundane, everyday policy issues. One fellow Labour MP told the publication: “He’s perfectly nice, but what is his thinking on all the major questions of the day when it comes to the country, whether it’s the NHS, childcare or climate?

“In some ways, he reflects the approach under the direction of Morgan McSweeney [Starmer’s recently departed chief of staff] to have candidates who could tick boxes at election time. ‘He’s a soldier!’ But why should this mean he’s the solution to our problems?”

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