80th Anniversary of Victory in Europe and Victory over Japan

Baroness Twycross Excerpts

Friday 9th May 2025 Lords Chamber

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Baroness Twycross) (Lab)]

My Lords, it is a genuine privilege to close this debate. I thank all noble Lords for their contributions today, not least my noble friend Lord Coaker for his truly inspiring opening speech and all noble Lords for their efforts through a range of organisations and their contributions today to ensure that we never forget people’s contributions and the horror of World War II. It feels only right to be able to come together on this 80th anniversary week to commemorate the end of the Second World War in Europe. I join others in congratulating the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Peterborough on her powerful maiden speech, which focused both on this week and on the wider significance of remembrance.

This week has seen some fantastic events to commemorate VE Day across all parts of the UK. Rightly, veterans have been at the heart of the commemorations, with their voices and their stories being central to events. As my noble friend Lady Amos said, they are now frail but still resolute. I particularly enjoyed meeting veterans at yesterday’s concert, including Prince Albert Jacob, who is originally from Trinidad. As the noble Baroness, Lady Smith of Newnham, said, there are increasingly few veterans with first-hand accounts of the war. I join the noble Lord, Lord Parkinson, in recognising and accepting that this is one of our final opportunities to say thank you, and we do, indeed, say thank you. I agree wholeheartedly with the noble Lord about the power of the stories that we have been hearing, and it has been great seeing our young people across the country engaging with the impact of the Second World War and to see our uniformed youth groups ably supporting events through the week, as highlighted by the noble Lord, Lord Lingfield.

I want to thank the huge number of people who have worked tirelessly to enable this week to take place. I have no doubt that it will have been a mammoth effort to pull off such a spectacular programme of events. From televised events to local community commemorations, everyone involved should be particularly proud of what they have delivered as part of a nationwide programme of events. I thank the noble Lord, Lord Parkinson, for his recognition of the work of teams, including the team at DCMS. I also thank colleagues and civil servants at the Ministry of Defence, as well as those working for Westminster City Council and the Royal Parks, who were clearing away barriers and debris overnight immediately after last night’s fabulous concert at Horse Guards parade.

Like many noble Lords, I have found the personal accounts particularly moving this week, including those from many noble Lords today. I have not seen the knitted tanks that the noble Lord, Lord Parkinson, mentioned, but I will now look out for them. I urge all noble Lords who have quoted from family letters to make sure they submit them to the Letters to Loved Ones campaign. We are keen to get full recognition and reflection of those stories from across the country so that we can remember.

I am sure that, like me, everyone who saw yesterday’s service at Westminster Abbey, which I was hugely privileged to attend, was moved by the sight of Alexander Churchill lighting a candle and speaking so poignantly. Of course, we are privileged to serve alongside two grandsons of our great wartime leaders, the noble Earl, Lord Attlee, and the noble Lord, Lord Soames, whose grandfathers played a central role in our nation’s victory. I know that the noble Lord, Lord Soames, is in the Channel Islands today as part of their liberation events along with Minister Peacock, who has ministerial oversight of the wonderful commemorations. It was moving to hear my noble friend Lord Pitkeathley of Camden’s account of his family’s experience of the islands being occupied, of internment and of their unwavering resolve.

There has been significant unity across this House during this debate. We must always remain united in defence of our country and our values against fascism and bullies. This was reflected in the words of His Majesty the King last night, speaking 80 years to the day—to the minute, indeed—after his grandfather spoke to the nation. It was very moving, five years after the late Queen spoke to and for the nation at the 75th anniversary celebrations, which fell as they did during the difficult days of Covid, to hear her words in her wartime diaries spoken alongside those of ordinary people, our extraordinary veterans, evacuees and those left behind. A very interesting point was made on Covid and Covid preparedness by my noble friend Lady Rafferty, and I will write to her in response to it.

As my noble friend Lord Coaker said, on 8 May 1945, the nation listened as Winston Churchill stood on a balcony not far from this building, declaring the end of the war in Europe. Churchill was very clear, however, that although one victory had been secured, the war was not over. He vowed to go “hand in hand” with

“our gallant allies of the United States”

to end the war that continued to wage in the Far East. We should never forget that many continued to fight long after VE Day until 15 August 1945, Victory over Japan Day. From Britain to India to Australia, and throughout the Commonwealth, the war continued to wage for many. We will remember this beyond this week’s commemorative events as we look to the 80th anniversary of VJ Day this summer.

It was really moving to hear the account of my noble friend Lady Hunter’s parents in the Far East, including the extract from her father’s letter, and to hear from the noble Lord, Lord Parkinson, about his uncle Bob. As the noble Baroness, Lady Coffey said, VJ Day came after the deployment of atomic bombs, which, as she said, we fortunately have never had to deploy subsequently. The noble Baroness, Lady Meyer, spoke movingly of her father’s reluctance to speak about his experience in a Japanese camp. In answer to her point on remembering, the Government are doing a lot of work with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which my noble friend Lord Coaker has recently met. I agree with the noble Lord, Lord Ricketts, that we must also remember VJ Day, but we should particularly remember his point about the continued oppression for many decades for all too many people in eastern Europe.

This was a war that took the lives of almost 400,000 British soldiers and 70,000 British civilians. The noble Lord, Lord Wallace of Saltaire, my noble friends Lord Boateng, Lady Amos, Lord Dubs, Lord Parekh and Lord Sahota, the noble Baronesses, Lady Benjamin and Lady Harris of Richmond, and the noble and right reverend Lord, Lord Sentamu, rightly highlighted the hugely significant role played by the Commonwealth in the allied victory. Over 200,000 Commonwealth troops lost their lives, whether those in the British Indian Army fighting in the Western Desert, or Gurkhas from Nepal fighting in Italy. These were troops who stood up for Britain and British values, for freedom, and for a world free of fascism.

My noble friend Lord Dubs and the noble and gallant Lord, Lord Craig, reminded us of the part played by the volunteers from the Irish Republic. We must not, and I am confident we will not, forget the contributions of all those who fought and sacrificed so much.

There was a strong reminder from my noble friends Lord Rook and Lord Sahota that other faiths as well as Christianity played their part in the fight against fascism. Indeed, my father’s best friend when I was growing up was a Jewish Polish refugee to this country who flew planes for the RAF.

There were particularly powerful comments from my noble friend Lord Boateng on the role of soldiers, including Joseph Hammond in the 14th Army of Great Britain in Burma, in the fight for self-determination, freedom and justice. I know noble Lords will join me in both thanking Joseph Hammond and wishing him well for his birthday.

My noble friend Lady Amos highlighted the role of Caribbean people, both in volunteering and in fundraising, but also mentioned the racism faced by veterans and the need for us to be honest about the whole of our history. The noble Baroness, Lady Benjamin, spoke powerfully about her three uncles who fought and the two who died. It is right that we honour the courage and dedication of all those who played their part. The noble Baroness, Lady Brinton, and my noble friend Lady Kingsmill reminded us of the role played by ANZAC forces.

Although the subsequent period of history also had its significant challenges and conflicts, I will take a moment, like many noble Lords, including the noble and gallant Lord, Lord Stirrup, the noble Baroness, Lady Smith of Newnham, my noble friend Lady Kingsmill, and others, to acknowledge the importance of the post-war order, including the stability provided through bodies such as the UN and NATO, and closer European co-operation through bodies such as the Council of Europe, which was mentioned by the noble Baroness, Lady Brinton, not least in bringing together former adversaries to become steadfast allies working in tandem to preserve a sometimes fragile peace in the later 20th century, and ensuring that the horrors of the 1930s and 1940s were not repeated. The noble Lord, Lord Bates, highlighted the importance of prosecuting war crimes. I will pass on his suggestion to the FCDO.

As powerfully outlined by the noble Earl, Lord Minto, in his opening remarks about the days leading up to VE Day, the Holocaust remains one of the darkest chapters in human history, targeting the Jewish community and murdering 6 million people. The Government stand with the Jewish people across the UK, today and always. It is important, as was noted by other noble Lords, to remember that the Holocaust also targeted those from a range of minority groups, including, as the noble Lord, Lord Shinkwin, reminded us, those with disabilities, and, as the noble Baroness, Lady Hunt of Bethnal Green, reminded us, gay people. They were all persecuted by the Nazis, as were the Roma people and trade unionists. This must not be forgotten, and the Government will do everything to ensure that present and future generations remember, through our continued support for the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust and the Holocaust memorial adjacent to Parliament.

The noble Lord, Lord Wallace of Saltaire, rightly highlighted the importance of younger generations learning about war and the role of schools and museums, including the Imperial War Museum, in doing this. The noble Lord, Lord Farmer, also highlighted the importance of education. The curriculum review and the importance of educating our young people was referred to by my noble friend Lord Boateng and the noble Earl, Lord Attlee. As noble Lords are aware, the DfE is seeking to deliver a broader curriculum. The intergenerational storytelling we saw this week highlighted the importance of such a review to ensure that young people learn from our shared past. My noble friend Lord Berkeley noted that not everything in our country’s history is palatable. I assure my noble friend that I learned about the Boer War and British concentration camps at school, and it is right that we tell a rounded story.

At the heart of this week’s events have been veterans, and this Government are determined to support veterans, both now and in future. I echo the noble Baroness, Lady Hunt, in paying tribute to the memory and work of the noble and learned Lord, Lord Etherton—in particular, in this context, his independent review into the experience of LGBT veterans serving between 1967 and 2000.

The fight for freedom is a constant fight, highlighted by the illegal invasion of Ukraine. This aggression cannot be tolerated, and this Government stand with Ukraine as it defends its freedom, as the previous Government rightly did too. As the noble Lord, Lord Howell of Guildford, said, war has changed and is now aimed almost entirely at civilians. It is also true, as he said, that peace is not built on temporary foundations.

The noble Earl, Lord Dundee, also highlighted current conflict. I assure the noble Earl that the Government will do everything we can to resolve conflict. In relation to Sudan, which the noble Earl mentioned in particular, the UK continues to work with our UN Security Council partners to galvanise council action on Sudan. This includes securing a UNSC press statement on 17 April which called for the end of hostilities in El Fasher and full implementation of Resolution 2736.

A number of noble Lords raised the importance of defence spending, including the noble Baroness, Lady Porter, the noble Lord, Lord Wallace of Saltaire, the noble and gallant Lord, Lord Stirrup, the noble Lord, Lord Shinkwin, the noble Earl, Lord Attlee, and others. There is clearly a danger in not rearming, and this Government are very aware of that and are taking action. As noble Lords will be aware, the Prime Minister set out his commitment to increase spending on defence to 2.5% of GDP from April 2027, with an ambition to reach 3% in the next Parliament. The UK is determined to step up and meet this pivotal moment of global instability head on, with a commitment that will see the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War.

Nobody could have been left unmoved by the stories from Members across your Lordships’ House—stories that bear repeating and remembering, although I will not be able to repeat all of them, and nor should I. I was particularly struck by my noble friend Lord Davies of Brixton’s point about how many people did not want to talk about their experience, so it is right that we use our voice to tell their story. It was particularly moving to hear from my noble friend Lord Griffiths that not all relationships survived reunion, and I think we forget that at our peril. I have known my noble friend Lord Coaker for 25 years, but I have never before heard about his uncle’s death—one of too many young men lost all too early.

My noble friend Lord Dubs talked movingly about his experience of VE Day in Manchester, his memories of the ATS women marching in Hyde Park and the horror of hearing of experiences in the camps, no doubt all too familiar to the father of my noble friend Lady Ramsey. I agree with my noble friend Lord Dubs that we should give credit to Germany for how it faced up to its past. I found particularly moving the final point from the noble Lord, Lord Carter, about his mother’s friendship with a German mother who had lost a child.

As someone with very close Norwegian connections, I was particularly grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady McIntosh, for speaking about the role of the UK in supporting occupied Scandinavian countries in their resistance efforts and in the liberation of those occupied Scandinavian countries. Clearly, Denmark and Norway still feel that gratitude to this country.

I thank my noble friend Lord Lemos for his work at English Heritage and for reminding us of the history of the Cenotaph, in making sure that we remember the fallen. I look forward to hearing more about his work when we meet in the near future.

I enjoyed the recollection from the noble Lord, Lord Howell, of his father’s role and his desk in the war rooms. I am particularly grateful to my noble friend Lord Bassam for highlighting the role of women auxiliaries in the fire service, as it gives me an excuse to say that I had the privilege to meet a number of those women as Deputy Mayor for Fire in London.

We had a really important reminder from my noble friend Lady Ramsey of the role of women in munitions factories. It is clear from her and from other noble Lords that all those who have them treasure artefacts, family stories and family memorabilia.

It was very sobering to hear the alternative vision of what might have been from the noble Lord, Lord Shinkwin, and it is important to remember how close this country came to defeat and what rights and what people might have been lost as a result.

In preparing for this debate I spoke to my mother, who was born shortly before the start of the war in 1939. She reminded me of how my father described sheltering under the dining room table during air raids in Nottingham. My dad also had a Mickey Mouse gas mask and, like my noble friend Lord Anderson of Swansea, my mum definitely used the phrase, “Have you got any gum, chum?” when trying to get chewing-gum from US soldiers. Both my parents shared the recollection of the noble Lord, Lord Hacking, of the blackout.

My mother also remembered the sound of laughter and the piano downstairs as her parents opened up their home in Kirkwall to Armed Forces based in Orkney. Some guests became friends for life, but on occasion these were fleeting friendships, with airmen in particular failing to return. Despite the song “We’ll Meet Again” being a hugely iconic and popular refrain played at events throughout this week, all too often people did not meet again. My grandfather was a civil servant in a protected position and, I understand, always felt guilty for not fighting.

From my perspective, I appreciated the focus in the debate on the work of those who contributed at home and, as my noble friend Lady Warwick highlighted, on the home front, from Bevin Boys to Land Girls. My noble friend Lady Hunter reminded us of the invaluable role of women in the SOE behind enemy lines. The right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham reminded us of the role of Army chaplains, and the noble Lord, Lord Lingfield, rightly highlighted the role of the Home Guard.

We have heard here today the importance of marking the 80th anniversaries of VE and VJ Day. We are clear and united across your Lordships’ House that we must ensure that the legacies of those who survived and fought these wars endure. I thank all noble Lords here today and all those who have taken part this week, including those involved in the parliamentary choir performance on Wednesday, highlighted by my noble friend Lady Warwick. There has been a huge contribution by many people across your Lordships’ House and beyond, across the country, to the commemorative events.

It is right to conclude by thanking the veterans who are still alive today, the soldiers, civilians and all those who fought to secure peace between 1939 and 1945, and our Armed Forces for what they continue to do today to keep us free, safe and able to have debates of this type.

Motion agreed.