Red poppy to be used to remember civilian victims for first time

Exclusive: Royal British Legion decision means symbol will also mark terror attack deaths

If you wear a red poppy this year, it will mean something different. The Royal British Legion has decided that the symbol that has long represented remembrance of the UK's armed forces will now also stand for civilian victims, not just of war, but terrorism too.

The decision by the 98-year old charity, which distributes 40m red poppies a year, opens up the official meaning of the famous symbol to encapsulate the memory of victims of the Manchester Arena attack in 2017, as well as civilians in Nazi Germany in the second world war.