Opposite Parliament, on the other side of the Thames, is the Covid Memorial Wall.
Hundreds of messages of condolence, marking the loss of friends and family.
Behind each, a family seeking the truth.
As if for every heart stencilled on the wall there is a question.
What happened? Could it have been done differently? Did the Government fail us? Could lives have been saved? What is the truth?
In the pandemic there were, of course, brief glimpses of hope – the furlough, the vaccine rollout, the applause for our heroes.
But there were so many failures. The mixed messages, the PPE scandal, the disaster of Eat Out To Help Out.
A PM who carelessly boasted it was OK to shake hands, then days later ended up in hospital.
Did you do all you could? Did you keep your promises? Did you follow the science?
The new independent inquiry into the handling of the Covid crisis wants to look at everything.
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Including Partygate. Including whether or not our PM took his eye off the ball.
We don’t know when the inquiry will conclude – 20,000 people have already contributed.
It could be a long time before it reaches a conclusion, a longer time still before justice arrives.
Meantime, those messages shine over the water from Parliament. Including one written by an NHS worker.
It simply says: “To all those I could not sit with. I’m sorry.”
We don’t need an inquiry to conclude you of all people have nothing to apologise for. To know how much you gave.
We’re proud of you.
Give Denise comfort
This paper has a proud history of fighting for justice. Recently, we brought you the story of Denise Fergus, James Bulger’s mum.
In all the time since the death of her boy, she’s never met a senior politician. That’s about to change.
Justice Secretary Dominic Raab has agreed to a meeting. This is a big step and an important one.
Now, he must promise not just to listen but to understand her pain, to give her the justice James deserves. To make sure his killer is never freed – that this woman who will never truly heal is at least given some comfort.
