Captain Sir Tom Moore, a veteran of the Second World War, who raised tens of millions of pounds for the NHS, died on Tuesday
A minute’s silence was held within the House of Commons in honour of Captain Sir Tom Moore and all victims of the COVID-19 pandemic ahead of Prime Minister’s Questions today.
Captain Sir Tom Moore, a veteran of the Second World War, who inspired the nation during lockdown by raising tens of millions of pounds for the NHS, sadly passed away at the age of 100 on Tuesday morning after he contracted COVID-19, his family has said.
To mark his memory, the minute’s silence took place before Prime Minister’s Questions at noon in order to honour him and all victims of the pandemic.
Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said Captain Sir Tom “exemplified the best of our values” and praised his fundraising activities
This comes after more COVID-19 “mutations of concern” have been found in Bristol and Liverpool, the health secretary has announced. Matt Hancock said 11 cases were identified in Bristol and 32 in Liverpool, so the government will extend the door-to-door testing currently underway in eight postcodes where the South African COVID-19 variant has been spread by community transmission.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson also praised Sir Tom’s fundraising efforts and said his was a “life well lived” and that he “inspired the very best in us all”.
The Prime Minister has encouraged the nation to join in with a national clap for Sir Tom and healthcare workers at 6pm this evening.
The 100-year-old’s death has since prompted reactions from across the world, after he raised over £32 million for the NHS during the UK’s first nation-wide lockdown.
A statement from Buckingham Palace said: “The Queen is sending a private message of condolence to the family of Captain Sir Tom Moore.
“Her Majesty very much enjoyed meeting Captain Sir Tom and his family at Windsor last year. Her thoughts and those of the Royal Family are with them.”
The White House also paid tribute to Sir Tom following his passing, tweeting: “We join the United Kingdom and the world in honoring the memory of Captain Sir Tom Moore, who inspired millions through his life and his actions.”
This comes after a door-to-door period of mass testing of 80,000 people in England is being implemented in order to find “every single case” of the South Africa coronavirus variant, which is reportedly more infectious than the original disease.
Earlier, Matt Hancock described Captain Tom as an “inspiration” and said his contribution will be formally marked.
“I will ensure we mark his contribution properly and appropriately at the right moment,” the UK’s health secretary told BBC Breakfast.
Asked whether a statue might be built to honour his legacy, Mr Hancock told LBC: “Yes, I do think that we should find a way, at the right time, to honour the contribution that he made to the NHS and he was an inspiration to so many people.”
