This coming week marks one of the most important days in our national calendar; one on which we all stop to remember the heroes who gave their lives for our country - Remembrance Day.

This Sunday, alongside many other representatives from across Ipswich and Suffolk, I will be laying a wreath at the Ipswich War Memorial and Cenotaph. This monument was installed in Christchurch Park in 1924, 100 years ago. The following morning, I will join veterans and children from local schools to pay my respects at the Fields of Honour in the Old Cemetery.

This year marks my first Remembrance Day as the Member of Parliament for Ipswich. I am acutely aware that, as a democratically elected representative, chosen in a free and fair election, my job would simply be impossible were it not for the sacrifice of generations past.

I am struck, this year more than ever - with conflicts raging in Ukraine, in the Middle East, in Sudan, in the Congo and elsewhere - that democracy, whilst a fundamental human right, is in reality a privilege that war and bloodshed does not afford to millions of people around the globe.

Yet, it is important to recognise the ongoing service of members of the British armed forces who are making a positive difference in this uncertain geopolitical environment. From those training Ukrainian armed forces to stand up to totalitarian Russian imperialism, to those delivering life-saving aid to conflict zones across the world, such as in Sudan and in Gaza.

Here at home, it is imperative this Remembrance Day to not just to recognise the sacrifice of generations of veterans past and present for our country’s democracy and freedom, but to provide them with support and protection too.

Across England, there are more than one million veterans, including more than three and a half thousand in Ipswich. Yet, while we rightly pay tribute to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, the political action needed to protect our veterans has too often fallen short.

This Remembrance Day, we cannot not be blind to the alarmingly high number of veterans who are sleeping rough on Britain’s streets, who are struggling with their mental health or with addiction, or the veterans we lose to suicide after their return to civilian life.

I was in the room for our Prime Minister’s address to the Labour Party Conference in September. During his speech, he set an ambition to provide a safe home for those who need it most - including, importantly, veterans.

The Prime Minister promised that his government will recognise those who performed national service par excellence. He promised that “homes will be there for heroes”.

Our government has already taken other important steps to stand up for our armed services and for our veterans. In the King’s Speech in July, the Government announced its intention to legislate for an independent Armed Forces Commissioner, to serve as a point of contact for service personnel and their families, ensuring welfare is at the heart of service life. That legislation was introduced yesterday.

The Government is also committed to compensating the LGBT veterans who suffered discrimination in our armed forces, and I look forward to working with relevant ministers to fulfil this promise.

Pre-election, we make a crucial pledge to commit the Armed Forces Covenant fully into law, and I am pleased that the Government has committed to implementing the recommendations of the previous administration’s welfare review for veterans within the next 12-18 months.

So, this year, whilst recognising the bravery and the sacrifice of veterans past and present, let Remembrance Day also be a call to action for our country.

Jack Abbott is Labour MP for Ipswich