Hansard

Eighty years ago today, the German instrument of surrender was signed by representatives of Nazi Germany, the United Kingdom, France, the United States and the Soviet Union in the ruins of the city of Berlin. With that document, the darkest chapter in the history of Europe finally came to a close. As the First Minister has pointed out, while fighting would still rage on in the jungles of Burma and the islands of the Pacific, for the first time in almost six years, the guns fell silent over the continent of Europe. The Nazi tyranny that had tried to subjugate an entire continent and eradicate an entire people had finally been defeated.

Throughout Europe, from the rubble-filled streets of Paris to the bombed-out shipyards of Clydebank, and from the devastated villages of Poland and Ukraine to the still-smouldering ruins of German cities, an entire continent was finally at peace. In the United Kingdom, we celebrated at last the victory that so many had thought would never come and the victory that, sadly, so many did not live to see. Six years of bloody fighting, from the fields of France to the deserts of north Africa, had taken the lives of almost 400,000 British soldiers—400,000 sons, brothers and fathers who would never return home; 400,000 lives that ended early in the fight against Nazi tyranny. At home, almost 70,000 British citizens—sons, daughters, mothers and fathers—were lost through blitz and bombing, hunger and disease.

The struggle against tyranny was global. Some 15 million allied personnel from Europe, North and South America, Australasia, Asia and Africa gave their lives. I want to remember all those from across the globe who stood against fascism, including members of my family who served in the British Indian Army and who fought on the front lines to protect our liberty. I hear tales about the British Indian Army only from my sole remaining grandmother, who talks often about her cousins who fought in that war and, tragically, lost their lives. Similar to the First Minister’s reflections, that makes me think about how fortunate we are that we pay service to remembrance and that we have proper records of those who have lost their lives. In many parts of the world, no such records exist, and people hear tales only because of surviving family members. I will never truly know how many of my family members were lost or how many made contributions. That is the case, I imagine, for communities right across the globe.

However, thousands of young men from different faiths travelled halfway around the world to answer Britain’s call in its hour of need. We might not know their names or where they came from, but they, too, must never be forgotten. That is why I am proud to join campaigners in calling for a permanent memorial to the soldiers of the British Indian Army in Glasgow, the city that so many of those soldiers’ descendants now call home, because the great victory over fascism is their victory, too.

Six years of total war had left our country and the entire continent of Europe on the brink of the abyss. As the victory was celebrated in the streets of Scotland and the UK, details slowly began to emerge from liberated concentration camps on the continent. The world learned the truth about the greatest crime ever perpetrated in human history: the systematic attempt to eradicate the Jewish people. Six million people were dead, and many more disabled people, LGBT people, trade unionists and minorities were killed by the apparatus of the Nazi state. The clock had struck midnight in the story of human history, but, through collective will and the united endeavour of people across the world, that evil had finally been defeated.

As people across the country celebrated that final victory, the Prime Minister addressed the nation. He said:

“God bless you all. This is your victory! ... In all our long history, we have never seen a greater day than this. Everyone, man or woman, has done their best.”

He was right. The workers in the shipyards, the women of the land army, the soldiers on the front line, the air raid precautions wardens, Home Guard volunteers and doctors and nurses—the people of the United Kingdom in their collective will and our allies, all united behind the just cause of victory—had proven triumphant.

As that victory was celebrated, the hope for a new and fairer future for our country was born. The comradeship, self-sacrifice and unity of the war years had shown the world the potential that the people of the United Kingdom held. At home, the construction of a new social and political order—one fit for our heroes—began in earnest. Coming out of the war, we developed a proper welfare state. The national health service, stronger pensions, new towns, slum clearances and new rights for workers were all delivered in the spirit of victory that people had worked so hard to deliver.

Across the world, the need for a new order was clear. The United Nations was established to promote peace across the world and to uphold the ideal that nations can resolve their issues through dialogue instead of violence. That was the lasting message of VE day—the demand for peace, justice and solidarity across the globe. That is why, today, on the 80th anniversary of VE day, we must all recommit to those ideals. No matter what walk of life people come from, their faith, their nationality or their vision for the broader world, we all have a shared aspiration for peace, dignity and freedom across the globe.

On this day, we remember them, we thank them and we pledge to carry their values forward. We think not just of those who lost their lives in that war but of those who are losing their lives in wars today. We resolve to deliver a fairer, more peaceful and more just world.