Significant step forward for the UK’s National Holocaust Memorial

The Government has re-introduced the Holocaust Memorial Bill into Parliament in a move that cements its support for delivering the UK's National Holocaust Memorial.  

The Bill will now begin its final stage on the road to Royal Assent following strong cross-party support in the House of Commons. 

The passage of the Bill will update historic legislation that currently limits building on the intended site of Victoria Tower Gardens in Westminster. This will allow for planning permission to be sought and for works on the Memorial to begin.  

The Victoria Tower Gardens site would position the Memorial next to the Houses of Parliament, serving not only as a powerful tribute to the victims of the Holocaust but as a reminder of the importance of democracy and the dangers of allowing hate and intolerance to prevail.  

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said:  

“The evil and brutality of the Holocaust is a stark reminder of what can happen when hatred and intolerance go unchallenged. We must make sure those who died are never forgotten. 

“This Bill will mean future generations continue to learn lessons from the past and help to build a more unified, tolerant future. 

“The cross-party unity on this shows the importance of this Bill and I encourage Peers to continue this unified front during the debate.”  

The project, which was first proposed in 2015, includes a dedicated learning centre below ground, offering a place of poignant reflection as well as a space to understand the history of the Holocaust and learn lessons for the future.  

Testimony from remaining Holocaust survivors has been captured for inclusion in the Learning Centre, preserving the voices of victims and allowing visitors to learn from those directly affected by the Holocaust. 

Karen Pollock CBE, Chief Executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust:

“We are very grateful to the Government for re-introducing the Holocaust Memorial Bill. With the Holocaust fading further into history and survivors becoming fewer and frailer, the need for progress on building the memorial and learning centre next to Parliament has never been more urgent.

“With antisemitism surging in the UK and around the world, we must be more determined than ever to show exactly where this pernicious hate can and did lead.”

From the outset, the project has enjoyed cross-party support, exemplified by the joint work of Rt Hon Ed Balls and Rt Hon Lord Eric Pickles as co-chairs of the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation advising Government on the proposal. 

The plans for the Memorial and Learning Centre have been welcomed by many in the Jewish Community who echo the importance of truthful and accurate Holocaust remembrance.  

Chief Rabbi, Sir Ephram Mirvis says:

“With the passage of time and the tidal wave of polarisation, scapegoating and hatred that seems to be sweeping the world, the urgent moral duty to preserve the lessons of the Holocaust could not be greater.

This recommitment by our new Government to creating a permanent Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre, on a most suitable site, sends a timely message, not only about our national undertaking to remembering this dark period of our history but, more importantly, about the kind of future we want to create together.“

Notes to Editors: 

• Victoria Tower Gardens is a site uniquely capable of meeting the Government's aspirations for the Memorial and Learning Centre to be close to buildings and memorials that symbolise our nation and its values.   
• The UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation carried out an extensive search and looked at almost 50 possible sites before recommending Victoria Tower Gardens as the location for the Memorial and Learning Centre. 
• A planning application to build the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre was first submitted in January 2019 and permission was granted in 2021.
• However, the London Historic Parks and Gardens Trust challenged the decision in the High Court and the planning application was revoked on the basis of the London County Council (Improvements) Act 1900 which states Victoria Tower Gardens should be “laid out and maintained… for use as a garden open to the public.”  
• The Holocaust Memorial Bill is intended to amend the existing London County Councill (Improvements) Act 1900 such that the 1900 Act would not pose an obstacle to building the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre. 
• While passage of the Bill would mean the London County Council Act (1900) would no longer pose an obstacle, planning consent would still need to be sought as normal. 
• The Bill does not seek to repeal any part of the 1900 Act. The requirement to maintain Victoria Tower Gardens as a ‘garden open to the public' will remain.
• The design only uses around 7½ per cent of the area of Victoria Tower Gardens, while improving the park for all visitors with better pathways and improved access to existing memorials.
• The Bill also only relates to section 8 of the London County Council (Improvements) Act 1900 which only concerns Victoria Tower Gardens. No other parks or gardens are affected. 

• The Bill will be re-introduced into the House of Commons as provided for in the motion passed by Parliament last session to allow this to carryover. As it completed all its stages in the Commons in the last session, it will only have those stages ‘formally' (i.e. no debate) and it will then move straight to the House of Lords where the next substantive stage will be Second Reading.