Editing Patrick Mercer (section)

===Parliament from 2010===
At the 2010 general election, Mercer more than doubled his majority to 16,152, to make Newark one of the safest Conservative seats in the country. In August 2010, based on intelligence from serving army officers, he warned that dissident Irish terror groups could be planning to attack the party conferences, including the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/northernireland/7958477/Republican-dissidents-to-target-Tory-conference.html |title=Republican dissidents 'to target Tory conference'|work=The Daily Telegraph |date=22 August 2010 |access-date=31 May 2013 |location=London}}</ref>

In May 2011, Mercer was appointed with [[Lord Ashcroft]] to review the future of the [[Akrotiri and Dhekelia|military bases in Cyprus]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-13526211 |title=Cyprus military bases' review 2011 |work=BBC News |date=24 May 2011 |access-date=31 May 2013}}</ref>

In August 2011, Mercer with his knowledge of Northern Ireland, led the calls for considering the use of water cannon and other robust police tactics to deal with the rioters during the [[2011 England riots]].<ref>{{cite news|author=Stephen Bates |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2011/aug/09/theresa-may-water-cannon-riots |title=Patrick Mercer calls for water cannon 9 August 2011 |newspaper=The Guardian |date= 9 August 2011|access-date=31 May 2013 |location=London}}</ref> The next day David Cameron approved the use of water cannon after chairing a session of the [[Cabinet Office Briefing Room]], Cobra.<ref>{{cite news|last=Porter |first=Andrew |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/8692996/London-riots-David-Cameron-approves-water-cannon.html |title=Cameron approves water cannon 10 August 2011 |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=10 August 2011 |access-date=31 May 2013}}</ref>

In October 2011, Mercer supported a failed bid by the Everyday Champions Church to open a free school in his constituency.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.secularism.org.uk/creationist-church-remains-resol.html |title=Creationist church remains resolute in pursuit of free school 21 October 2011 |publisher=Secularism.org.uk |date=21 October 2011 |access-date=31 May 2013}}</ref> The bid was rejected because of concerns over the church's explicitly [[creationist]] stance.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6069260 |title=Evangelicals' free school would include creationism on science curriculum 12 September 2011 |work=Tes.co.uk |access-date=31 May 2013}}</ref>

In November 2011, the press reported that Mercer had been taped making disparaging remarks about David Cameron, calling him "despicable" and describing him as an "arse" and "the worst politician in British history since [[William Gladstone]]". The same articles claimed he had predicted that Cameron would be ousted by Conservative MPs in early 2012.  Mercer later denied making the comments.<ref name=tapedattack>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/conservative/8886745/Tory-MP-in-row-over-taped-attack-on-David-Cameron.html|title=Tory MP in row over 'taped attack' on David Cameron|author= [[Patrick Hennessy (journalist)|Patrick Hennessy]]|newspaper=Daily Telegraph|date=13 November 2011|access-date=13 November 2011|location=London}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2011/nov/13/tory-mp-cameron-ousted-spring|title=Tory MP 'secretly taped claiming Cameron will be ousted in spring'|author=Press Association"|newspaper=The Guardian|date=13 November 2011|access-date=13 November 2011|location=London}}</ref>