As the country marks the 80th anniversary of D-Day today Keir Starmer has paid tribute to the “individual courage and collective strength” of the D-Day generation.
This follows Keir Starmer’s attendance at a national ceremony to mark the first day of national commemorations, held in Portsmouth on Wednesday.
The Labour leader met with Labour candidate for Portsmouth South, Stephen Morgan, veterans and local sea cadets during his visit to Portsmouth.
The Labour leader will mark the historic anniversary today at a ceremony at the British Normandy memorial in Ver-sur-Mer, France.
Speaking on the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, Keir Starmer, Leader of the Labour Party, said:
“Eighty years ago today, the sun rose on a new day of hope for a world in the dark storm of the Second World War.
As ships and planes full of brave British soldiers approached the coast of France on D-Day, their courage and sacrifice would bring liberation to Europe and secure our freedoms for generations to come.
UK servicemen stood with our Allies from around the world to deliver a decisive blow against fascism and turn the tide of the war. Some made the ultimate sacrifice, giving their lives so we could live freely. Others returned home to build a new Britain out of the ashes of the war.
It is a privilege to stand with surviving D-Day veterans in Normandy today as we mark this historic anniversary. We will commemorate their courage, we will honour their fallen comrades and we will ensure that their story is never forgotten.
Our debt to them can never repaid in full. But we can – and must – honour their sacrifice. This goes beyond party politics. This is about who we are as a nation. This is our story, our history, our identity – and our future together.
The story of D-Day is a story not only of individual courage, but of collective strength. Of commitment to our Western allies in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. It is a story that resonates just as strongly today, in this new age of insecurity, as it ever has.
Like so many families, I have relatives who fought in the Second World War who I will be remembering this week. It is an honour to attend commemorations in Portsmouth and in France on behalf of the Labour Party. And to personally thank members of that generation who delivered us out of the shadow of war, into a brighter future for Britain.
We must never allow that generation’s heroism to be forgotten.
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them.”
