Today is the eleventh day of the eleventh month and at eleven o'clock the nation falls silent to pay respect.We have been paying our respects for 91 years to those who fought and fell in the First World War. None of those who survived remain. But this has not dampened our enthusiasm to mark their courage and their loss, or the loss of those who followed them in the Second World War or subsequent conflicts.

The loss of 95 British soldiers so far this year in Helmand Province in Afghanistan is the highest loss of life in any year since the Falklands War in 1982.

This adds particular poignancy to Remembrance Services across the country. Last Sunday many were joined by service men and women who have served in Afghanistan, including in Ludlow which I attended on Sunday.

British forces in Afghanistan have my full support. I have some doubts about practical aspects of delivering the military mission. There can no longer be any doubt that our troops have not had sufficient helicopters and equipment has not always arrived as required.

But our forces are there to ensure Afghanistan does not again become a launch pad for terrorist attacks on the rest of the world. They are not there to occupy Afghanistan or dictate its internal affairs. Our goal is to help make it safe and secure, so that it can be governed by Afghans for Afghans.

Now that Hamid Karzai has been confirmed for a new term as President of Afghanistan, the British Government must make clear that it will not give him a blank cheque. Our support must be contingent on serious progress being made on tackling corruption and promoting the rule of law.