Borough MP backs call for permanent Covid memorial wall in London

Makerfield MP Yvonne Fovargue has given her backing to a letter to the prime minister Boris Johnson spearheaded by Afzal Khan, who represents Manchester Gorton in the House of Commons.

The Covid Memorial Wall, with its endless line of hand-drawn red hearts, has engulfed the wall opposite Parliament since March as bereaved families visited the site to add messages for their loved ones.

Ms Fovargue said: “It is right that we remember all those who have died due to this horrific virus and reflect on the grief of those who have lost loved ones.

“I also pay tribute to the people who put themselves in the face of danger: our NHS, care workers, all key workers and our public servants who have kept our society functioning.

“The wall would act as a lasting memorial to those who sadly lost their lives during the pandemic.”

Mr Khan has been working with Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice to secure the wall’s future.

Among the 227 signatories of the letter are more than 160 MPs as well as members of the House of Lords and mayors.

Matt Fowler, co-founder of Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice, said: “The Memorial Wall has brought many thousands of bereaved families across the country together in ways that we could never have imagined, it’s been utterly overwhelming.

“We’ll never get back the people we’ve lost but having a shared space for our collective memory, to share our loss and our love, has meant so much.

“It is unthinkable the wall would be taken down when it is so important, to so many.

"Seeing this support from MPs across parliament for it to be made permanent has been heartening, and we sincerely hope the prime minister will join them."

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