A controversial Holocaust Memorial is set to be pushed through by the Government following a "huge rise" in anti-Semitic incidents after the barbaric Hamas attack on Israel last month.
Long-promised plans for the monument and learning centre in Victoria Tower Gardens were outlined in the King's speech on Tuesday.
The area was first announced as the site for the memorial in January 2016, but the Government has faced a long legal fight with campaigners who have argued it is the wrong location for a tribute, which will take up 7.5 per cent of the public park.
The Bill, sponsored by the Department for Levelling-Up, Housing and Communities, intends to update Victorian-era legislation and remove the legal obstacle that has so far prevented the project going ahead.
It passed its second reading in the Commons unopposed in June, and will now return for its committee stage.
"My Government is committed to tackling anti-Semitism and ensuring that the Holocaust is never forgotten," King Charles said.
The Bill outlines that there is an increase in racism towards Jewish people when there is an escalation of violence in Israel and Palestinian Territories and this has been "demonstrated by a huge rise in reported incidents following Hamas's attack on Israel".
The Met Police has recorded a more than 1000 per cent rise in anti-Semitism compared with last year.
"We must do everything we can to ensure the Holocaust is never forgotten and anti-Semitism is driven out of our society," the Bill states.
"The barbaric attack by Hamas on Israeli civilians on October 7 and the rise in anti-Semitism in the days and weeks after serves as a reminder that we must never give up doing so."
The Save Victoria Tower Gardens Campaign supports the idea of a memorial but has argued that the park is the wrong location.
"We support the Government’s wish to memorialise the Holocaust, and to improve education around racism and anti-Semitism," the group has said.
"London’s precious parks should be preserved at all costs as untouched areas of greenery, to be enjoyed by the thousands of people who live or work nearby, or who come as visitors."
