Holocaust Memorial Bill

Baroness Fookes Excerpts

Report stage
Wednesday 11th June 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Young of Norwood Green (Lab)]

No, I am not going to give way because I have not finished developing my argument. I had to listen to quite a few minutes from the noble Lord; I will not give way until I have finished, then the noble Lord can tell me that I am wrong, which I am bound to be because I have only ever been a junior Minister.

I do not accept as a valid argument that the learning centre is impossible to protect. Of course it is difficult to protect Parliament; people are not just going to wander in and out. We have already heard that you have to make appointments online. Of course there will be significant security. It is not that I think that those who tabled the amendment did so in bad faith or because they want to undermine the proposal. I just happen to think they are wrong in their analysis in suggesting that we cannot provide a safe and secure environment.

Will the learning centre undermine the Buxton memorial? No, of course it will not, because it will be done sensitively. I see noble Lords shaking their heads as if we are going to reduce it to something insignificant—no, we will not do that. We want to make the whole complex something to be admired and respected. Have we got the planning capacity to do it? In my opinion, we have. Have we got the security ability to do it? I believe that we have.

What would the amendment really do? Once again, it says that Victoria Tower Gardens is not the right place, and even it was we could not provide the security. My reason for opposing it is not to doubt the genuine intent and sincerity of those who support the amendment, but to say that, in my view, I think they are wrong.

[Baroness Fookes (Con)]

My Lords, I have not so far taken part in this debate, although I did in Committee. I simply want to say that I strongly support the amendment tabled by the noble Lord, Lord Carlile, but I want to get down to the nitty-gritty. Perhaps the Minister can help by answering my questions. I am trying to envisage what the memorial will look like with the security in place. How many police officers will be at each entrance? How many will be involved in its security? Will they be armed or unarmed guards? Will they be there 24 hours a day, or will the park shut so we will not then need them? I ask for a few simple answers.

[Lord Pickles (Con)]

My Lords, it is a great privilege to follow the noble Baroness. I am not getting at anybody here, but we talked about a policeman dying for us. I made a vow that whenever we talked about him, we would remember that he was called Keith Palmer. His name is on a plaque at the gates to remind us. I knew him, and he was a brave man.

I am a bit concerned. I think that people are picking on the noble Lord, Lord Carlile. While I would not have the temerity to run as chairman of his fan club, I certainly could be a member. He has performed a very useful role. One or two people who have arrived late to this debate seem to think he has caused a degree of bad feeling. He has performed a very valuable role, because he has asked some difficult questions and has forced the Minister and me, and others, to address that.

We need to be assured that a process has been set up to answer the questions the noble Lord has asked. Through that process, the decision is made on whether we should have a Holocaust memorial and a learning centre—a decision which is not ours, but that of the planning process.

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Moved by

[Baroness Fookes]

13: Clause 3, page 1, line 22, at end insert—
“(2A) If it is decided that a Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre will be built in Victoria Tower Gardens, this Act does not come into force until the Secretary of State has obtained written confirmation from the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England and the World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization that they are content that the proposals for any Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre to be built in Victoria Tower Gardens do not adversely affect—(a) the integrity, authenticity, or outstanding universal value of the Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey including Saint Margaret’s Church World Heritage Site;(b) any other memorial or the setting of such memorials in Victoria Tower Gardens;(c) the integrity of the Victoria Tower Gardens as a green space dedicated to the wellbeing of local people, in perpetuity.”Member's explanatory statement
This new Clause seeks to obtain the approval of heritage bodies which have expressed grave concern about the planned use of Victoria Tower Gardens; and to protect the Spicer and Buxton Memorials in Victoria Tower Gardens.

[Baroness Fookes (Con)]

My Lords, given the lateness of the hour and the fact that this amendment, in my name and that of other noble Lords, is rather unfortunately numbered 13—it does not bode well for this amendment, I fear—I will be as brief as I can.

I simply wish to seek the opinion of the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England and the World Heritage Committee that they are satisfied that this unique little park will not suffer detrimentally from the building works that are planned. We have to bear in mind that this is the setting for our magnificent building. As such, it is of considerable importance. In addition, we want to see that the memorials already there are not overlooked or in any way detrimentally affected. I am also particularly keen to ensure that the green space is preserved.

I will not rehearse all the views I expressed in Committee, save to say that I believe there is a very real danger that the two avenues of magnificent planes will be at serious risk. I base this on an independent report made to Westminster City Council, which set out in detail what those risks were. I will not rehearse those now, but I ask that we take full account of the importance of this little park, both for its setting and for the people who currently enjoy the green spaces in an area not very full of them. I beg to move.

[Lord Inglewood (CB)]

My Lords, I am disappointed that, in this wide-ranging and very interesting and relevant debate, we have hardly touched on the conservation significance of Victoria Tower Gardens. We need to be under no illusions that it is a very important site, both on its own account and because it is one of the most significant sites in this country, which is of global, European and national importance.

I will not at this point in the evening enumerate the detail of the characteristics and designations it has achieved, nor the criticisms that have been levelled against what is being proposed. Suffice it to say that, from a national and an international perspective, those criticisms carry the greatest heritage value and perspective. They should not be lightly dismissed as some kind of frippery on the periphery of this debate—on the contrary, they are right at its centre.

I hope, in conclusion, that the way in which this matter will be handled will be one that will enable some of those who are bound to be disappointed to accept that a fair, even-handed decision was reached, balancing all interests involved, and that no particular pressure groups—whether they are Jewish or conservationists or anybody else—has been given priority unjustly over anyone else.

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To finish, there is no good reason to make such a radical intervention in the normal planning procedures, either for this proposal or more widely. I therefore ask the noble Baroness to withdraw Amendment 13.

[Baroness Fookes (Con)]

My lords, I would not be seeking to invoke other bodies—one of them foreign—if the fears I expressed much earlier in the Bill’s progress had been taken more seriously by the Government. I got the impression that anything one said was always brushed away, and therefore concluded that I must seek other ways of getting my worries dealt with.

I can see that I am getting absolutely nowhere fast, and that it is the early hours. Therefore, I will withdraw the amendment, but my worries and concerns have not been diminished in any way. I beg leave to withdraw.

Amendment 13 withdrawn.