80th Anniversary of Victory in Europe and Victory over Japan

Lord Coaker Excerpts

Friday 9th May 2025 Lords Chamber

Moved by

[Lord Coaker]

That this House takes note of the 80th Anniversary of Victory in Europe and Victory over Japan.

[The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Coaker) (Lab)]

My Lords, it is a great honour to open this debate. Values of patriotism, family and community are sometimes regarded as old-fashioned, but this milestone 80th anniversary of VE Day reminds us that they are as relevant today as they ever have been. I have seen at many events up and down the country one thing standing out: so many children involved, as well as people from all walks of life, with pride in our country, what we stood for then and what we stand for now. We often talk of what divides us, but the struggles and fights of the past give us the foundations and provide us with the social glue that binds us and hold us together. Britain must defend international freedoms now as it did then, and that is worth remembering. It is something of which we can all truly be proud.

I pay particular tribute to the noble Lord, Lord Christopher, who is not in his place but is I believe the only current parliamentarian to have served in World War II. I equally pay tribute to the noble Lord, Lord Soames, who is in the Channel Islands. What a great testimony he is to his grandfather in the work that he has continued. I also pay tribute to the noble Earl, Lord Attlee, and his grandfather’s role in VJ Day and beyond. As with the noble Lord, Lord Soames, I think both grandfathers would be extremely proud of their grandsons.

VE Day, 8 May, is one of the most iconic days in our history. At 3 pm, the nation tuned in as the Prime Minister, the right honourable Winston Churchill—our great leader of our greatest generation, who steered Britain through the war and built the allied coalition that defeated fascism—took to the airwaves and informed the nation that, yesterday morning at 2.41 am, German officials had signed the Act of unconditional surrender of all German land, sea and air forces in Europe, declaring that day as Victory in Europe Day. Later, from a balcony in what is now His Majesty’s Treasury, draped with a union jack he addressed a sea of jubilant faces that filled every square inch of Parliament Square, Whitehall and the streets beyond. As Churchill held up a V for victory and people below him waved handkerchiefs, rattles and small union flags, small groups formed circles and danced, not unlike the pictures and footage we have seen this week of jubilant crowds and delighted children up and down the country, running around with flags in hand.

People rejoiced, having come through our nation’s darkest hour with courage, ingenuity and the Dunkirk spirit—through the Battle of Britain and the Battle of the Atlantic, through punishing campaigns in north Africa and Italy, and through D-Day, Market Garden and the Battle of the Bulge. People rejoiced, with gratitude for all those who had delivered that victory, far too many of whom were no longer alive to share in it—gratitude for the brave soldiers, the pilots in sheepskin jackets, the courageous sailors of the Royal Navy and Merchant Navy, the clever code breakers and intelligence officers, the ingenious engineers and industrialists, the firefighters, and all those who worked tirelessly on farms, in armament factories and in other crucial roles on the home front, including many millions of women, whose nation also needed them. They embraced a long-overdue opportunity and redefined their role in society for evermore.

On hilltops, people lit beacons as, in cities and towns across the country, friends, acquaintances and strangers, first united by a common enemy, were now united in joy. They came together to dance long into the night, celebrating the triumph of the allied forces over the axis powers and the triumph of hope over despair, of freedom over tyranny, and of democracy over dictatorship. Let that inspire us now as we face the challenges of today. This country will never step back from defending our freedoms and democracy. But Winston Churchill, in his own words, knew that we could allow ourselves, only a “brief period of rejoicing” and could

“not forget the toil and efforts that lie ahead”,

because Japan remained unsubdued. The conflict in the Far East, a far too often overlooked theatre of war where more than 50,000 British personnel were killed, would rage for a further four months. The contribution of so many of our Commonwealth friends and allies must not be forgotten. It raged until another allied endeavour, the Manhattan Project, brought the costly six-year conflict to a deadly and decisive end.

Today, we debate freely in the mother of all Parliaments, exercising the rights and freedoms secured by our parents, our grandparents and that generation then. If noble Lords will forgive my indulgence, this included Troop Sergeant Major Vernon Coaker, of 3 Commando—the uncle I never met. He stormed Sword Beach at 8.30 am on D-Day and helped to seize the critical bridges over the Caen canal and river. He cleared German forces out of the nearby village of Amfreville and was left in charge of his entire troop when his CO headed off to scout their next mission, only to return at 8.30 pm that evening to find Sergeant Major Coaker lying in the road near the post office, killed by an enemy mortar—killed alongside 4,441 allied casualties on D-Day alone.

Writing years later, his commanding officer, Captain Keith Douglas Ponsford, noted of my uncle: “We had lost a fine soldier, who had been in many 3 Commando operations, including the attack on Saint-Nazaire”. My family’s story, shared by so many others—no doubt including many in this Chamber, as well as across our country—is one that reminds us all of that sacrifice. I will never forget that grave in Ranville War Cemetery, near Caen, alongside many other graves, which states: “God bless Sergeant Vernon Coaker, killed on 6 June 1944, aged 23”.

Eighty years later, this generation has become the latest to come together to thank our greatest generation. On behalf of the Government, but I know also on behalf of all of us here, I thank all those up and down the country who have organised and been involved in the commemorations over recent days. In particular, I thank colleagues in the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport and the MoD, members of our Armed Forces who have been out in all their splendour—what a great credit they are to our nation—the amazing staff of the Royal British Legion and other military charities and associations, and the organisers of street parties and events right across our nation.

Today, it is incumbent on us not only to reflect on and appreciate the millions of individual sacrifices that secured our freedoms, but to learn lessons about our security, solidarity and service that will serve us well in this dangerous era in which we live. On security, Neville Chamberlain quickly became shorthand for the folly of appeasement. Over time, more and more historians have convincingly pointed out that Britain was in no position to stand up to Hitler in September 1938. The lesson today, which needs to be fully understood and is accepted by many of us, at least, is that, if we want peace in our time and in the future, we can never again take our eye off the importance of deterrence, particularly as potential adversaries arm themselves to the teeth.

That appreciation underpins our review and, should President Trump be successful in his efforts to bring peace to Ukraine—we hope he will be—enhanced deterrence in Ukraine and across Europe and NATO will be the decisive factor in securing peace in Europe again and preventing further Russian aggression. As we celebrate VE Day, let us also remember the strength and courage of the Ukrainian people and all those who have supported them in resisting the illegal invasion of their territory.

The second lesson from the war that I want to touch upon is solidarity: the importance of solidarity with our allies, the importance of solidarity with those who serve—some here will know about that better than me—and the importance of the solidarity of our nation. The wartime platform given by Germany to Lord Haw-Haw illustrates the enduring power of propaganda. I believe that it is incumbent on all of us, in this Chamber and beyond, who love this country and believe in Britain to ensure that the British people are in no doubt: our solidarity is under ongoing, sustained attack from today’s propagandists and armies of bots, armed with infinite supplies of disinformation, under the command of adversaries like Russia and other states working against our interests. It should never take a war for us to speak out about such attacks and the fact that we will defend ourselves against them. Like previous Governments, we are alive to this threat, which is an existential one. Our review will guide us as we step up work to counter it.

The other lesson that I want to draw is about service: it is about the power of individual and collective service, and valuing those who serve. The relentless determination of that war generation, who gave their blood, toil, tears and sweat—and, indeed, their lives—over six long years, was summed up by Churchill when he said: “Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts”. We must have that courage, will and determination, and, even many years after, we must listen to the words of Churchill as they ring down the ages. Our current Armed Forces are full of people who have these and other war-winning qualities in abundance. They are people who have stepped forward to serve, with the support of families who also sacrifice to facilitate the long deployments and frequent moves that service life can entail.

We all need to realise this threat today. Too few people who are going about their busy lives perhaps truly appreciate that, and this VE Day celebration gives us all the chance to understand those sacrifices made on our behalf. We are determined to change that, and we are working with the support of others to ensure that the Armed Forces covenant is fully implemented. We are, with the support of Parliament, appointing an Armed Forces Commissioner as an independent champion tasked with improving service life. This is also why commemoration is so important. We must remind each generation of the sacrifices made in the past for our freedoms—sacrifices that are still being made today by members of our Armed Forces and the families who support them.

The end of World War II marked the beginning of a new chapter, a chapter written by the men and women who turned our darkest hour into one of our finest hours; men and women who had witnessed the absolute worst of humanity—as my noble friend Lord Dubs can no doubt tell us about—and the worst of what people can do to each other, but were determined to use their hard-won freedoms to build a better future. They were the architects of the United Nations, of NATO and of greater European co-operation, while at home, they built homes for heroes, the NHS and the welfare state. They built global institutions and improved lives in Britain, in an attempt to ensure that the sacrifices of that generation would be honoured, never forgotten, never repeated. Today, we come together to remember and honour the proud legacy of our greatest generation and recommit to upholding it. Is it not that recommitment, that determination, that pride, that gives us the hope and belief that this great nation is once more the standard-bearer for freedom and democracy?

Just think of it: what a tribute that is to those who have served in our service. It moves us all. As we put down the flags, banners and slogans, let us once again remind ourselves that we will never put down our values; we will always stand up for those values. That is what makes this country great. On days like this, it reminds us of what unites us.

I am very proud to move this Motion today, and I know it is supported by everyone across the House. What a great country we are, and what a brilliant celebration we have had over the past weeks. Communities have come together, standing up for those things that bring us together—notwithstanding some of the debates and arguments that take place. Think of our reputation across the world as the pictures of the King saluting the troops and others as they came down the Mall were shown, of the public cheering and of the various events across our nation, which have shown that the great nation we are still exists. I beg to move.