At a glance
• WWII veteran Alec Penstone, 100, said the war ‘wasn’t worth it’, due to the state of the UK today
• He told Good Morning Britain the sacrifice for those is not reflected in ‘the country of today’
• This comes as a new poll shows rising national division in the UK over social issues
A Second World War veteran has said that fighting “wasn’t worth it” due to the state of the country 80 years on.
Alec Penstone, 100, who fought in World War II, has attended several remembrance events and appeared on ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Friday.
When asked what his message was for Remembrance Sunday, he said: “My message is, I can see in my minds’ eye, those rows and rows of white stones, of all the hundreds of my friends who gave their lives.
“For what? The country of today? No I’m sorry. The sacrifice wasn’t worth the result that it is now.”
Alec, from Tottenham, north London, explained: “What we fought for was our freedom and even now, it’s a darn sight worse than what it was when we fought for it.”
Presenter Kate Garraway told Alec that the nation was grateful for his contributions and that it was “up to this generation” to take care of the future.
This comes as a new poll that finds Brits are increasingly divided over social issues, including immigration and trans rights.
The King’s College London survey showed a "frightening increase in the sense of national division" on the topics, with some feeling the trans rights movement had gone “too far”.
The research suggests that 86 per cent of people polled believe there is tension between immigrants and people born in the UK, up from 74 per cent in 2023.
Less than half of those quizzed said they feel proud of their country, a number which has fallen from 56 per cent to 46 per cent in the past five years.
