Eric Joyce: From teenage soldier to colourful MP known for combustible nature

ERIC Joyce is a example of a politician whose career has been beset by personal problems and failings.

Born in Perth, he signed up as a private in the Black Watch as a teenager but then took a sabbatical to earn a religious studies degree from the University of Stirling and later attended Sandhurst to gain an officer’s commission.

He rose to the rank of major in the Royal Army Educational Corps but ruffled feathers when he started an armed forces magazine where service personnel could voice concerns about military life.

He left the army in 1999 amid controversy, after describing the armed forces as “racist, sexist and discriminatory”.

After working for the Commission for Racial Equality Scotland for some months, he was elected to parliament as Labour MP for Falkirk West in a December 2000 by-election. The bitterly fought contest came in the wake of the resignation of MP Dennis Canavan. Mr Joyce, a staunch Blairite, then went on to win the enlarged Falkirk constituency in 2005 and 2010.

His combustible nature was soon in evidence – including a notorious public spat with a leading Scottish political journalist at a Labour Party fundraiser.

However, he got his first step on the parliamentary ladder in 2003, becoming a parliamentary private secretary.

He served a number of ministers before quitting as PPS to defence secretary Bob Ainsworth in 2009 because of his doubts over the war in Afghanistan.

In recent years, amid marriage problems, Mr Joyce has become the focus of concerns about his drinking habits.

In 2010, he was arrested after failing to provide a breath test following a motoring incident in Falkirk. He pleaded guilty in court the following day and was fined £400 and banned from driving for a year. Mr Joyce resigned from his position as shadow Northern Ireland minister and apologised for his behaviour.

He has also been criticised over his expenses, being one of the highest claiming MPs in the Commons. Earlier this year, it emerged he had billed the taxpayer for more than £200,000 for his latest expenses, including £45,111 in travel costs.

He is one of the parliament’s most enthusiastic users of social media. Earlier this week, he tweeted: “Ok, who’s the hardest boxing correspondent in the country? There’s only one way to find out…”