Andy Burnham led a record number of past and present prime ministers at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday, laying a wreath in honor of Britain's war dead. He was joined by former leaders including Sir John Major, Sir Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak, and Sir Keir Starmer.
The attendance of ten leaders at the Whitehall event marks a modern record and underscores the fragmented state of UK politics over the past decade. This was Sir Keir Starmer's first attendance since being replaced by Mr. Burnham earlier this year. It also marks the fifth attendance for Ms. Truss since her 49-day premiership in 2022, the shortest in British history.
Also present were Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey, Reform leader Nigel Farage, Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, and Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle, who also laid floral tributes.
For Nigel Farage, this was his first time laying a wreath, following his party's achievement of passing the six-MP threshold. Speaking to the BBC, Farage expressed his honor but questioned the public's appetite for such a large political presence at the service.
King Charles was accompanied by members of the royal family and other senior politicians for the National Service of Remembrance. The ceremony included the sounding of the Last Post and a two-minute silence.
Following the service, approximately 10,000 veterans participated in the Royal British Legion’s march-past, representing over 300 different Armed Forces and civilian organizations. The crowd lining Whitehall included people of all ages, from bereaved children and military cadets to some of the last surviving veterans of the Second World War.