Holocaust Memorial Bill

Lord Polak Excerpts

Report stage
Wednesday 11th June 2025 Lords Chamber

As I said earlier, this debate is not only about the planning process; it is about the way in which this House, and Parliament, respond to the legal obligations imposed on it by the 1900 Act, which is still the law of the land.

[Lord Polak (Con)]

My Lords, I was not going to speak at all, and I will make this very short, because I am a great believer in this project and I support what the Minister has done. This amendment is just a wrecking amendment, because it is clear that the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation put in place by the then Prime Minister conducted an extensive search for alternative sites. Fifty were considered. There should be no more prevarication: we need to get on with this.

If we look at the model, we see that Victoria Tower Gardens are not going to be wrecked; they will be enhanced. The greenery will be enhanced. I just cannot accept the argument being made. To the noble Baroness, Lady Deech, to whom I am very close on so many things, I say that I think the case has been proved tonight. The Jewish community, of course, have many different views; and the Jewish community, like any other citizen in the country, had a chance to get involved nine or so years ago. If they wanted to make some comments they could, like anybody else, have done so.

The last thing I want to say is that the most important speech tonight has just been made by the noble Baroness, Lady Berger. The courage and bravery that she showed, and what she was put through by her own people, in her own party, leads me to say that I admire everything she did. Every word that she said tonight, everybody should read. I totally support that, and therefore I disagree with this amendment.

[Lord Pickles (Con)]

My Lords, I would very much like to be associated with the words expressed about the noble Baroness, Lady Berger. She is a great addition to this House and a woman of considerable courage. Like my noble friend, I have enormous admiration for the noble Baroness, Lady Deech. So far as I am aware, this is the only thing I have ever disagreed with her about. But I hope she will not mind if I do so here. I thought initially that she had just misspoken, but she has repeatedly said that the historian Martin Winstone did not know what was going into the memorial. That is not true. What he actually said—