Labour Lisa Nandy accused of using Remembrance Sunday to ‘pitch EU membership’

Ms Nandy said Britain should honour its veterans by creating new opportunities for future generations “through closeness and collaboration with our allies”.

Ahead of Remembrance Sunday commemorations at the Cenotaph, the Culture Secretary said the UK had seen 80 years of peace, adding that current Britons were “about to raise the first generation for whom fighting a war really is part of history”.

But critics have slammed her remarks, accusing her of using Remembrance Sunday to make an “EU membership pitch”.

Reform Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick said on social media that both Ms Nandy and Andy Burnham had “failed so badly to meet the moment”.

He said: “On Remembrance Sunday, Lisa Nandy has claimed that no one in Britain has had to fight a war since the Second World War.

“What about the 7,193 British soldiers who have sacrificed their lives in conflicts ranging from the Korean War to Afghanistan?

“While she erases their service, the country will never forget their bravery.

“Remembrance Sunday is a sacred day, not to be cynically used by Labour to justify closer ties to the EU.

“Whatever the merits of their argument – and I believe reopening the Brexit wars is both a colossal waste of energy and a strategic disaster when national sovereignty is more important than ever – this is not the day for it.”

Conservative Party Chairman Kevin Hollinrake has now urged the Culture Secretary to withdraw her remarks and apologise.

He said: “Remembrance Sunday is a day for the nation to stand together in silence and honour those who gave everything for our country.

“It is not a day for a Labour minister to try to make an EU membership pitch.

“Our veterans did not fight for a student exchange scheme.

“Using their sacrifice to clear a £570million cheque to Brussels is tone deaf and frankly shameful.”

The Government will provide up to £400million through the British Council for schools, youth groups and sports teams, with more than £30million earmarked for youth projects in areas with historically low participation.

Labour says it has secured a 30 per cent discount on participation costs for 2027, saving taxpayers around £240 million.

Britain left the Erasmus+ scheme in 2020 under Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal and was replaced by the Turing Scheme, which was scrapped when the Government announced the new Erasmus+ deal.

Ms Nandy said: “This Remembrance Sunday, we come together to reflect and honour the sacrifices that our Armed Forces made in the First and Second World Wars, and continue to make today.

“We are about to raise the first generation for whom fighting a war really is part of history. Our future generations must know the significance of those who served in our national story, that they forged a path for friendship and cooperation that meant no one in our country has had to fight a war since.

“It is our duty to ensure that the immense courage of those who have served our country is never forgotten. They went to war to give us 80 years of peace.

“We are about to raise the first generation for whom fighting a war really is part of history. Our future generations must know the significance of those who served in our national story, that they forged a path for friendship and cooperation that meant no one in our country has had to fight a war since.”

She added: “In that spirit, this Government is building stronger, better ties with our EU neighbours. After six years away, the UK rejoining the Erasmus Plus programme is a clear symbol of our ambition and intent.”

Veterans have now also slammed her remarks as “rather tone deaf”.

Col Richard Kemp, a former head of British forces in Afghanistan, told The Telegraph: “On Remembrance Sunday, it is not about Erasmus or anything like that – it is all about remembering and commemorating the people who made the supreme sacrifice. The focus of that should not be taken away by the Government.”

And Maj Gen Timothy Cross CBE, a retired British Army officer and military logistics expert, accused the Culture Secretary of using Remembrance Sunday for “political point scoring”.