This morning wreaths have been laid at the Cenotaph on Whitehall to remember the fallen, followed by the Remembrance Sunday parade by troops and veterans. You can watch highlights from the day on BBC 2 at 5:30pm or on BBC iplayer.
The Chief of the Defence Staff was on The Andrew Marr Show earlier this morning. You can watch the full interview here.
Remembrance
Over this remembrance weekend, broadcast and print outlets report on the Festival of Remembrance and service at the Cenotaph.
The Sun on Sunday has an article from the Defence Secretary, discussing conflicts of the past and present, and the importance of remembrance. From Gallipoli to Afghanistan, it is important we pay tribute to all soldiers, sailors and airman for their countless acts of courage. The article reminds that the minutes silence at the Cenotaph is not a celebration of war but a bugle call to keep fighting for the peace we cherish.
Syria
The Sunday Express reports that senior military officers have “rounded” on the Government Opposition for allowing the Stop the War Coalition campaign group to dictate foreign policy. It writes about the current restrictions on RAF bombers flying over the border into Syria to carry out a strike. The piece quotes Major General Patrick Cordingley, who led allied forces during the first Gulf War saying “Following IS across the border into Syria is really a low-level tactic and I don’t believe it’s one that we should even be asking Parliament about. It’s entirely different from the issue of bombing Assad’s chemical warfare facilities, for instance. Those people from the extreme left influencing these decisions are doing it because of their own internal politics. We should just get on and do it.”
In an interview in the Independent on Sunday the former Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown has said that Syria is the fourth major Western failure, stating that by bombing a country you rule out your ability for diplomatic resolution.
Sheffield Forgemasters
The Sunday Times reports that Sheffield Forgemasters, the manufacturer of parts for Vanguard submarines, is at risk of being rescued by a Chinese firm after becoming the latest victim of the crisis in the steel industry.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said:
Sheffield Forgemasters is a subcontractor in the Submarine Enterprise. It is the responsibility of the Prime Contractor to manage its supply chain and we are pleased that they are doing so in this case.
Egypt
The Sunday Times reports that intelligence chiefs believe the Russian tourist plane was brought down by an off shoot of ISIL fronted by Abu Osama al-Masri, an Egyptian cleric. The piece reports that if he is added to a kill list the SAS could be sent into Egypt.
Ebola
The Independent on Sunday and broadcast news have reported on the news that Sierra Leone has been declared Ebola free. The outbreak that engulfed west Africa 18 months ago claimed 4,000 lives in the country and led to the deployment of British troops and medics.
The military personnel who served in Sierra Leone were thanked by the Prime Minister earlier this year.
Lariam
The Sunday Express reports that a Royal Navy study suggests that anti-malarial drug Lariam (otherwise known as mefloquine) causes side effects to half of the Armed Forces personnel who take it. The report states that deployed members of the Armed Forces have a much higher reaction rate to the drug compared to civilians because of the circumstances they are taking it under, mostly due to the stressful environments they are in.
An MOD Spokesperson said:
All our medical advice is based on the current guidelines set out by Public Health England. Based on this expert advice the MOD continues to prescribe mefloquine as part of the range of malarial prevention treatments recommended, which help us to protect our personnel from this disease. Mefloquine is only prescribed after an individual risk assessment as it is not the first drug of choice for our personnel. It is used by civilians and military personnel throughout the world and there are no countries where the drug has had its license withdrawn on safety grounds.
You can read more about the MOD’s use of Larium in our myth busting guide here.
HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Harry both laid wreaths at the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey to mark the start of Remembrance week. They both laid wooden crosses with thier Royal cyphers on as well as hundreds of veterans and families who laid their own personal crosses. After the ceremony, Prince Harry and the Duke of Edinburgh walked around the gardens talking to veterans and families of those who have died in conflicts.
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