I am incredibly grateful to the hon. Gentleman for the tone of his response. He is absolutely right that VE Day and VJ Day should be etched on our collective memory. I join him in paying tribute to our armed services personnel who are serving today, and I echo his comments on Ukraine.

He is right to pay tribute to the sacrifice of British and Commonwealth soldiers and to outline how young people can get involved. It is important that young people can explore their connections and, of course, we want to encourage as many people to get involved as possible.

In response to his specific question, we wrote to local government leads on 5 March. I am very happy to meet with them or any Member of the House to discuss our plans further.

I whole- heartedly welcome the Minister’s statement. It will be a true day of national unity. Last week, I presented a long overdue official armed forces badge to 100-year-old veteran Eric Radcliffe.

Will the Minister thank Eric for his service, and will she inform the House and my constituents in Leigh and Atherton about what is being done to ensure that the stories and experiences of brave veterans like Eric are not lost to time?

I am sure the whole House will want to join me in thanking and paying tribute to Eric. As I said in my statement, veterans are at the heart of the celebrations.

We are working closely with the Royal British Legion to ensure that they are central to the plans, so they can get involved and we can hear their stories.

I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.

The hon. Gentleman paid a heartfelt tribute to his parents. The commemorations I have announced today acknowledge the value of lasting peace and how it can sometimes be difficult to achieve.

In response to his suggestion, our “Letters to Loved Ones” encourages people to look into their own family history and to explore what life was like, and the Royal British Legion is leading on remembrance resources that will allow people to hear testimony direct from veterans.

I thank the Minister for her statement, which will be welcomed by the good and patriotic people of Newcastle-under-Lyme. The bravery, valour and sacrifice of those who defended our shores in the fight against fascism made them the heroes we remember today and every day.

The Minister will know—she has touched on this already—that the war was won thanks to the service and commitment of people from across the then empire, now Commonwealth.

What discussions has she had with the Commonwealth secretariat in relation to these commemorations to ensure that they pay due tribute to all those who made the ultimate sacrifice?

My hon. Friend rightly makes the point that we pay tribute to all those who served from the Commonwealth. As part of a stakeholder roundtable, I met the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

We are working in my Department and across Government with the Ministry of Defence, which we meet regularly, and we continue to work together.

I thank the Government for these excellent plans. The ghosts of men who went to liberate Europe and never came back are all over Wiltshire—the county that I represent part of.

Lord Alanbrooke’s diaries are full of the villages and towns that he visited during the war while supporting our troops who were preparing to go and fight in Europe, and Wiltshire was very much the launching pad for Operation Overlord.

In addition to the plans that the Minister has set out, may I encourage her to consider ensuring that there is proper, senior representation from a national level in Wiltshire around D-day?

The hon. Gentleman makes a very important point on behalf of his constituents. I am very happy to meet him to discuss the events taking place in his constituency and the ways in which the Government can potentially support them.

Having visited my hon. Friend’s constituency, I know how much it has contributed—Aldershot is of course the home of the British Army. She makes an important point about armed forces champions in councils across the country, who will play an important role.

We wrote to local authorities last week, and we are keen to continue to work with them.

I commend the Minister for her statement, which will be truly welcomed by the people of Romford, many of whom served in His Majesty’s and Her Majesty’s armed forces—including my own father, Frederick William Rosindell, who served in the Royal Air Force in the second world war.

A part of the British isles was liberated in May 1945, which was described by Sir Winston Churchill as “our dear Channel Islands”. I did not hear any mention today of the Channel Islands in the Minister’s statement.

Some 66,000 British subjects were liberated in Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney and Sark, and 6,000 members of the British forces landed there as part of Operation Nest Egg—taskforce 135.

There is no actual commemoration for those people who liberated those cherished British islands in the English channel. Will she ensure that the reunion of the Channel Islands with the United Kingdom and the wonderful liberation of those islands is also commemorated as part of VE 80 this year?

The hon. Gentleman pays an important tribute to his father, who served in the Royal Air Force.

He makes an incredibly important point about the Channel Islands, and I would be really pleased to meet him to discuss that further to see how we can pay a fitting tribute to and commemorate the role that they played.

I welcome the statement and the work of the Government to remember the greatest of all generations. Will the Minister join me in congratulating Telford and Wrekin council on launching a £50,000 community fund to mark this event?

In particular, will she thank parish and town councils, the Royal British Legion, Telford and Wrekin Interfaith Council and veterans’ groups for grabbing the opportunity to apply to that fund?

Does she agree that our allies then and our allies now are very welcome to join us in marking this very special occasion?

My hon. Friend makes a really important point. It is fantastic to hear about the £50,000 community fund. There are lots of ways in which community groups can get involved, whether it be decorating their villages or towns or organising a street party.

As I say, we will work with local councils to support local communities to do that.

I am really pleased that the hon. Gentleman was able to outline the important contribution that the Parliament choir will make. He is absolutely right to speak about how it is Parliament’s opportunity to both celebrate and commemorate. My hon.

Friend the Minister for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism reminds me that we are watched over by the plaques for Members of Parliament who lost their lives during war.

I am grateful to the Minister and the Government for announcing these fitting tributes to VE and VJ Day and to all those who fought and died for our country.

The West Bromwich Royal Naval Association club and the Oldbury Royal British Legion do really important work locally supporting and providing companionship for local veterans.

Will the Minister join me in paying tribute to them and in encouraging everyone to get involved in the celebrations that they will be organising?

I am absolutely delighted to join my hon. Friend in paying tribute to the West Bromwich Royal Naval Association club and the Oldbury Royal British Legion.

I know from my experience in my own constituency of Barnsley just how important organisations such as those are at moments like this, and all year round, in supporting veterans.

I thank the Minister for her statement. The second world war had a profound effect on so many lives. I think of my father’s two brothers, my uncle Anthony and my uncle James—my namesake—who fought in the Pacific in the US navy.

Some 50,000 Scots lost their lives in combat, while around 6,000 civilians in Scotland were killed, many in bombing raids. In my own constituency, Peterhead and Fraserburgh were subject to heavy bombing raids, with Fraserburgh suffering the same casualty rate as London during the blitz.

Can the Minister assure the House that all Government Departments will work to uphold the legacy of VE Day and look after all our veterans, especially those who find themselves homeless?

Can I say how very welcome the Government’s announcement on the VE and VJ Day celebrations will be in Dartford? My constituency was very much on the frontline during world war two.

The town and surrounding villages were a target for air raids by German bombers that could not reach central London, which often deposited their bomb loads on Dartford. Only today, part of Kirby Road and Hillhouse Road has had to be cordoned off due to a suspected unexploded world war two bomb.

I pay tribute to the emergency services, which, even as we speak, are dealing with that situation. Many brave Dartford men and women fought and died in the war, and their memories are still strong. How can people use the VE and VJ Day celebrations to uncover wartime histories in their families?

My hon. Friend has outlined the huge impact that the war had.

I said in my statement that my generation would be the last to grow up with family members and friends who fought or contributed; I remember on my first day at school, or certainly not long after I joined school, my first teacher talking about her experience during an air raid.

That was really important to me growing up—it was part of my childhood that people talked about the second world war. That is not the case for today’s generation, which is why we have launched our “Letters to Loved Ones” initiative.

That initiative encourages people to explore their family history—to look for letters and artefacts so that they can understand what life was like during wartime. We are encouraging people to share those letters and artefacts on our website, so that we can all learn from them.

My father served on HMS Fearless, which was sunk, and although he survived, many of his comrades remain buried at sea. Will there be any initiative to address war graves at sea, given that there have been egregious examples of their being plundered for scrap and other things?

The right hon. Gentleman makes an important point about war graves at sea, and I would be very happy to meet him or write to him. I will certainly reach out to colleagues in the MOD to talk further about that issue.

I thank the Minister for her statement—it is so important that people across the country have the opportunity to celebrate VE Day and VJ Day. I was really pleased to hear that the UK Government are working with the Welsh Government.

How can the Government ensure that veterans are at the heart of our celebrations in constituencies such as mine in north Wales?

I congratulate all three Front- Bench spokesmen on their excellent contributions. Does the Minister know whether the BBC will be broadcasting some of the films—not jingoistic, but thoughtful and realistic—that were made and broadcast in cinemas during the war years?

Will there be any reminder of the fact that the end of the war, though joyous for the liberated nations, did not mean the same thing for those countries in central and eastern Europe—including Poland, for which we went to war—that were left occupied by the Soviet Union, and that at the start of the cold war, only our alliance with America prevented a further conflict following?

I hope some of those lessons will be carried forward in the commemorations that the Minister has outlined.

I am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for his kind words, and he makes an important point about taking lessons forward. That is something I will take away. He has asked about the BBC; as I mentioned in my statement, the BBC is working with us to deliver the concert on 8 May.

Although it will be a commercial decision that I do not want to anticipate, I understand that there will be old films.

I also mentioned the augmented reality experience, which will bring to life four well known VE Day photographs so that people can see them in colour and listen to an audio history that will go with them.

I thank the Minister for her statement. Northern Ireland played a pivotal role in the wartime effort, with 38,000 enlisting and our manufacturing industry shifting to produce warships, tanks, munitions, aircraft parts and so on.

In my constituency, Lurgan’s stunning Brownlow castle served as headquarters for American troops and as the planning site for the D-day landings, and even hosted Eisenhower himself.

Today, it continues to welcome Government Ministers, including the Secretary of State— I extend that invitation to the Minister.

As we approach the 80th anniversary of VE Day, does the Minister agree that Brownlow House should be recognised and promoted nationally for its historic role, and that the Government should deliver on the promise of financial support for the restoration of its family wing, ensuring that its full history can be preserved and shared with the world?

The hon. Lady has rightly outlined the huge contribution that people across Northern Ireland made, and as I outlined in my statement, a number of commemorations are taking place across Northern Ireland. I am due to visit Northern Ireland in April; perhaps I can reach out to the hon.

Lady to take her up on her kind invitation. While I am not in a position to commit financial support today, I would be delighted to visit if the diary allows.

Of course, the whole House thanks the hon. Gentleman for his service as a veteran. He has outlined the importance of VE Day and VJ Day to his constituency of Huntingdon. His specific question about funding is of course one for the MOD, but I will write to the Department to relay his question.

I draw the House’s attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests.

As a former member of staff for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and as the chair of the all-party parliamentary group for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and commemoration, I welcome the Minister’s statement.

Does she agree that the integration of the CWGC’s “For Evermore” project into the VE Day and VJ Day celebrations is a wonderful opportunity to draw the public’s attention to the CWGC’s relatively new online portal, through which descendants of the men and women of the Commonwealth whom it commemorates can now share in perpetuity their stories of the loved ones they lost?

The CWGC is therefore connecting burial records with the life stories and photographs of those who are commemorated for future generations.

The hon. Lady makes an important point, which I echo—the “For Evermore” project is a fantastic initiative. As she says, people can reach it online, and I understand that there will also be 150 mobile exhibitions, not just across the UK but across the world.

Our local Noak Bridge and Billericay councils have already signed up to the beacon lighting for VE Day.

Will the Minister encourage all local councils across the country, including district, county and parish councils, as well as community groups to come together and do everything they can to make these celebrations something for their whole community? As I have been listening to other hon.

Members, I have also been reflecting on our recent Commonwealth Parliamentary Association visit to Singapore and Malaysia, during which we visited the Commonwealth war graves there.

Perhaps the Minister could write to those organising all the international visits that Parliament is undertaking to ensure that parliamentarians visit war graves around the world as part of the celebrations, particularly this year.

The right hon. Gentleman makes a number of valid and important points. In my statement, I talked a little bit about how councils and local councillors can get involved.

We are keen that street parties can take place, and we hope that local councils can be as flexible as possible when it comes to rules and regulations.

We are also launching our new initiative, “Tip Top Towns”, to encourage people to decorate their local areas, whether that is with bunting or letterbox toppers.

I should also say that grants are available for local communities for things like street parties and decorations; if they want to access those grants, they can make an application to the National Lottery Community Fund. I will also take the right hon.

Gentleman up on his suggestion that I write that letter.

I thank the Minister for her statement, and for the energy and enthusiasm that she shows on behalf of this great nation.

Over the years, my constituency has had a great history of service in the Army, RAF and Royal Navy—in the second world war, in every war since, and indeed during the troubles we have had.

The victory in Europe and the victory in Japan are significant milestones in British history, marking the end of the second world war and Germany’s surrender.

It is crucial that we do all we can to remember and celebrate those events, so will the Minister consider allocating additional funds to devolved nations? I say that for a reason: my local council, Ards and North Down, is oversubscribed by a long shot when it comes to applications.

We need to ensure that local councils have the capacity to fund the services and events that will celebrate those milestones, so that generations to come will not forget and, importantly, will be able to learn from the past.

I also extend an invitation to the Minister to come to Strangford—there is no better place. If she has the time, I have the time for her.

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his kind words. It is a huge privilege to make this statement on behalf of the Government, and I am proud to be announcing our activity on VE and VJ Days. It is hugely important to our whole United Kingdom, as he rightly says.

We are working closely with the devolved nations, and I will certainly reach out to him when I am in Northern Ireland.