Remembrance Day: Armed Forces

Leigh Ingham Excerpts

Tuesday 11th November 2025 Commons Chamber

[Leigh Ingham (Stafford) (Lab)]

Remembrance is more than a moment of silence. It is more than standing still, heads bowed, to honour those who served and those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, and it is more than just a day. It is about how we choose to treat those who remain with us and about the daily choices that we make, as a Government and as a society, about the kind of country that we want to be.

The Royal British Legion has carried that responsibility for over a century. It has been a lifeline for the armed forces community, past and present, and for their families. In Stafford, Eccleshall and the villages, it does that with quiet dedication, year in, year out. We see that commitment in the poppy appeal that is not a small, symbolic effort, but a huge community undertaking. I pay particular tribute to those volunteers who lead and sustain that work across Stafford, Eccleshall and the villages, including the poppy appeal organisers, the branch officers and the many collectors who give up their time. They are not paid—they do it out of loyalty and gratitude.

That sense of service runs deep in so many families, including my own, from my family members who have served in all conflicts since world war one to my incredible nephew—I am somewhat biased—who serves today. Through the armed forces parliamentary scheme, I have been privileged to spend time with many more of our serving personnel—helpfully, some of those I am not related to—and what has struck me most is their absolute commitment to one another, to service and to this nation. That same commitment runs through the wider armed forces community.

Last week, I attended a fundraiser organised by the Minister for the Armed Forces for the charity Scotty’s Little Soldiers, which helps the bereaved children and young people of military personnel. It was founded by an extraordinary woman, Nikki Scott, after the death of her husband, Corporal Lee Scott, in 2009. She spoke at length last week about her and her family’s experience, and her words, along with her absolute strength and compassion, have stuck with me ever since. From her very worst moment, she has chosen to serve others, showing that patriotism is found not only on the battlefield, but in the courage to care for those left behind. As Nikki Scott shows us, true patriotism is not loud or boastful. It is not about waving a flag once a year. It is about service before self. It is about caring for one another, honouring our shared values and building a fair country worthy of those who fought, and those who continue to fight, for it.

When veterans struggle to access healthcare or housing, when their families face hardship, or when loneliness creeps into the lives of those who once served, our response as a nation is a test of that patriotism. True remembrance means not only laying wreaths, but laying the foundations of a country that keeps faith with its promises to fairness, to decency and to one another.