The National Covid Memorial Wall

On Friday 30 April 2021 I visited the National Covid Memorial Wall, a public mural painted by volunteers to commemorate victims of the Covid-19 pandemic in the UK. The wall is marked with over 150,000 hearts, each one a symbol of a life lost to coronavirus.

The mural stretches for a third-of-a-mile along the south bank of the River Thames, facing the Houses of Parliament. It was organised by the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice who are asking the Government to make the memorial a permanent feature.

The Bereaved Families for Justice group have also been calling for a full public inquiry into the Government’s handling of the pandemic. I welcome the Prime Minister’s recent commitment to launch a public inquiry within this Parliament. This must begin immediately as we grapple with new variants and coming out of lockdown.

This inquiry must have the confidence of Bereaved Families for Justice from the outset in determining its terms of reference. The families of all those who have tragically lost their lives during this pandemic deserve answers, and we must learn the lessons quickly.