Sir Keir Starmer marks Armistice Day in Paris – the first PM to do so since Churchill
The prime minister and French president laid a wreath together before relighting the flame of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe.
Sir Keir Starmer marked Armistice Day in Paris as events took place across the UK to commemorate the end of the First World War.
The prime minister met French President Emmanual Macron for the 106th anniversary of the event.
The pair laid a wreath together before relighting the flame of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe.
The French Army Choir sang God Save The King and the French national anthem La Marseillaise.
Earlier Sir Keir and Mr Macron laid wreaths at statues of Winston Churchill and Georges Clemenceau, the French prime minister at the time of the Armistice.
Follow live: PM in Paris for ‘vital’ Armistice Day events
Sir Keir is the first British prime minister to attend the armistice ceremony in Paris since Churchill joined Charles de Gaulle there in 1944, according to Number 10.
The prime minister met Mr Macron and Prime Minister Michel Barnier this morning and had a breakfast reception with representatives of the British defence community in France.
“I am honoured to be in Paris to stand united with President Macron in tribute to the fallen of the First World War who made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom we enjoy today,” Sir Keir said.
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A ‘special year’
Sir Keir’s visit to France is a reminder “we can never take the freedoms we enjoy in Europe for granted,” the defence secretary said earlier this morning.
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“This is a special year,” John Healey told Sky News when asked why Sir Keir was making the trip to Paris.
“We mark 80 years [since the] D-Day invasions and some of the critical battles that liberated Europe and ended the Second World War.
“This is also a mark of the close relationship between the two leaders, between Macron and Starmer, but also the historic bonds between our two countries and our two militaries.”
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It comes after Sir Keir announced more than £10m to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day and VJ Day next year.
The prime minister has pledged a “moment of national reflection” next year, with events on 8 May to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Allied victory in Europe and also on 15 August to mark the end of the Second World War.
