Regarding the remarks made by an American president—remarks that have rightly been deemed offensive by so many world leaders—we must speak plainly.

More than 450 British servicemen and women lost their lives in Afghanistan. We must also remember (especially as we have part Italian heritage) the 53 Italian troops killed. Many more were grievously injured, and a significant number will require care and support for the rest of their lives. These are not abstractions or statistics: they are human beings who paid a terrible price.

We must remember those troops for who they were: heroes who served their country with courage, duty, and honour. They were asked to fight, to sacrifice, and ultimately to withdraw, leaving behind a nation that once again fell into the hands of forces of darkness. That alone was a bitter enough outcome.

What is utterly intolerable is that their service and sacrifice should now be demeaned or dismissed. Such insults do not wound only the present generation; they also dishonour the memory of our parents and grandparents, who fought—and often died—to defend freedom and democracy in the Western world. Their legacy, and that of those who followed them, deserves respect, not contempt.