Leo Docherty

Born in Glasgow but raised in Gloucestershire, Leo Docherty studied Swahili and Hindi at the University of London before attending Sandhurst and joining the Scots Guards. He completed tours of duty in both Iraq and Afghanistan, his experiences in the latter of which were published in his book Desert of Death. Following this, Docherty travelled from Turkey to Afghanistan on foot, bicycle, and horseback over six months, and was sufficiently passionate about the Central Asian region that he founded the once biannual Steppe magazine. In 2011, he was elected to the South Oxfordshire District Council. His current constituency is highly suitable for an ex-army man with the Aldershot garrison an important part of the local area. He is chair of the Conservative Middle East Council. Docherty’s election campaign received £10,000 from a mix of donors with links to the Gulf States. From 2017 to 2018, Docherty claimed £26,893 in overseas travel expenses, the highest value of any MPs that year. From 2017 to 2019, he was a member of the defence committee and sub-committee, and the committees on arms exports controls. Since 2019, he has been an assistant whip.