A Tory minister has backed a campaign to build a big statue of Captain Sir Tom Moore.
Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said it would be a wonderful way of honouring the NHS campaigners after his passing, aged 100.
He told ITV’s Good Morning Britain that what Captain Tom represents, is the best of the United Kingdom, and that he sees it every day in the vaccination deployment programme, the whole country, the army of volunteers and that he was one of those and he became a beacon of light in these gloomy, dark days of this pandemic.
He said that he was completely in support of making sure that they recognise that, and a big statue would be a wonderful way, not just for this generation to remember Captain Tom but for forthcoming generations.
He continued that as Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer for England said, some of the younger people to aspire to be like Captain Tom would be a great thing and that he would certainly back a statue for Captain Tom.
TV presenter Nick Knowles was among those who suggested a permanent statue on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square, while Carol Vorderman said he deserved a stone in Westminster Abbey.
Just over a third of almost 1,500 UK adults surveyed by Opinium are in support of a statue in Parliament Square, while more than half say Captain Tom should have a hospital named after him.
Boris Johnson last night said he was, of course, open to the idea of a statue, but the decision should be for Captain Tom’s family.
The Prime Minister said that he knew that was the sort of thing people would want to support and they would be working with his family to see what they believe is most appropriate.
Asked if the statue might be built possibly in his home town or where he was born or in London, Matt Hancock told LBC that he did believe that they should find a way, at the right time, to acknowledge the contribution that he made to the NHS and that he was an inspiration to so many people.
Captain Sir Tom Moore set out to raise £1,000 for NHS Charities Together by walking 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday last April, but his efforts struck a chord with the nation and donations flooded in, and the statue would be a splendid idea.
There will be numerous people who will want to see a statue in this man’s honour, and no doubt a movie will be made in time showing his time in the war, but if this is the case, they shouldn’t let American film producers get their hands on the facts and twist all the events as they frequently do.
Captain Sir Tom Moore was an astonishing person, and hopefully, the Tories won’t use his legacy for their own personal political agenda because he was a wonderful person and a statue in his honour would be well justified – he was a true warrior and our national treasure.
A statue would be a lovely idea because it will remind people of some of the good things to have come out of this pandemic.
This man touched so many people in how he found the strength in the dark days to provide some sunshine and inspiration to so many, but there should also be a statue to remember all the people who we’ve lost in this pandemic, and they both need remembering for different reasons.
