This Lords Library briefing provides information on the Battle of Passchendaele and events held to commemorate it ahead of a debate in the House of Lords on 19 October 2017.
Battle of Passchendaele: Centenary Commemorations (417 KB , PDF)
The Third Battle of Ypres, or the Battle of Passchendaele as it became known, encapsulated a series of engagements fought between 31 July and 6 November 1917. In the words of historians Robin Prior and Trevor Wilson, no Great War campaign excites stronger emotions, and no better word better encapsulates the horror of combat on the Western Front than ‘Passchendaele’. This briefing provides a short summary of the key events of the battle, describes the scale of the engagement and the casualties resulting from it, then details commemoration events which took place during this summer to honour those who lost their lives.
Battle of Passchendaele: Centenary Commemorations (417 KB , PDF)
The ‘Strategic defence review 2025’ (SDR) was published on 2 June 2025. Contending that the UK faces a generational defence and security challenge, the SDR makes 62 recommendations across the armed forces and wider society to meet this threat. The government has pledged to implement all those recommendations. However, critics question where the resources to meet the requirements of the SDR will come from, despite government pledges to raise defence spending levels.
The Chagos Archipelago has been the subject of a long-standing dispute over its sovereignty between the UK and Mauritius. Having been retained by the UK since 1965, the largest island, Diego Garcia, later became the site of a joint UK-US military base. In May 2025, the UK reached an agreement to transfer sovereignty of the islands back to Mauritius, while maintaining an initial 99-year lease of Diego Garcia. The agreement also includes security and financial provisions.
2025 marks the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day and Victory over Japan Day, events which in 1945 brought an end to the second world war. On those days 80 years ago, celebrations erupted across Britain. However, world leaders and domestic politicians were aware of the numerous problems still to be tackled, such as reconstruction, demobilisation and the legacy of the development and use of the atomic bomb.
