Armistice Day in Europe: Starmer Becomes First UK Leader to Visit France on This Day Since Churchill

Sir Keir Starmer has become the first UK leader to attend the Armistice Day ceremony in France since Winston Churchill in 1944.

The leaders of the two nuclear-armed nations, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, honoured the sacrifices of the unknown French soldiers who died in the First World War, which saw nearly 10 million soldiers killed, under the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

The First World War pitted the armies of France, the British Empire, Russia and the United States against a German-led coalition that included the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires. Leaders from countries such as Australia, Canada and South Africa all joined the commemoration.

 ‘I am honoured to be in Paris to join with President Macron to honour the fallen of the First World War, who made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom we enjoy today,’ Starmer said.

The Elysee Palace reported that Macron expressed his gratitude to Starmer for attending the Armistice Day ceremony. This year marks the 120th anniversary of the Treaty of the Heartland between Britain and France. The statement said that the two leaders celebrated the ‘shared values of Franco-British friendship’, which have come under pressure due to Brexit, the UK's decision to leave the European Union, of which France is a key member.

Starmer also announced that the British government had allocated more than £10 million to the 80th anniversary of the Allied victory in Europe and the subsequent defeat of Japan, which ended World War II.

A few hours earlier, the reality of Russian warfare had come to a head. Russian planning bombs, drones and ballistic missiles struck cities in southern and eastern Ukraine, killing at least 6 civilians and wounding about 30. The Russian war in Ukraine is now in its third year. At the same time, Russia has repeatedly threatened to use nuclear weapons.