Victims of July 7 attacks remembered 20 years on with service at St Paul's
Four co-ordinated attacks on three Tube trains and a double-decker bus killed 52 people and left several hundred injured in the worst single terrorist atrocity on British soil.
Sir Keir and the royals were joined by Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan, the Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, survivors, emergency responders and bereaved relatives at the commemorative ceremony.
Earlier the Prime Minister and Sir Sadiq laid wreaths at the July 7 memorial in Hyde Park at 8.50am on Monday, to coincide with the time that the first bomb went off.
They were joined by officials including Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley and Chief Constable of British Transport Police Lucy D'Orsi who also laid floral tributes.
In a statement issued to mark the anniversary, Sir Keir said: 'Today the whole country will unite to remember the lives lost in the 7/7 attacks, and all those whose lives were changed forever.
'We honour the courage shown that day — the bravery of the emergency services, the strength of survivors and the unity of Londoners in the face of terror.
'Those who tried to divide us failed. We stood together then, and we stand together now — against hate and for the values that define us of freedom, democracy and the rule of law.'
Mayor of London Sir Sadiq said Londoners 'will always choose hope over fear and unity over division'.
'We remember the 52 people whose lives were cruelly stolen on that dark day and our thoughts and prayers remain with all of their loved ones, as well as the more than 700 people who were injured by these cowardly acts of hatred.
'We also pay tribute to those who ran towards danger on that terrible day.
'From emergency service personnel, to transport workers and members of the public who showed incredible courage and compassion by putting their own safety at risk to help those in need, their bravery and selflessness will never be forgotten.
'Two decades on – as we unite for a day of commemoration – I have a clear message for those who seek to spread division and sow hatred – you will never win.
'London's determination to stand together is stronger than ever. We will always choose hope over fear and unity over division as we continue building a safer London for everyone.'
In his message to mark the anniversary, the King said comfort can be taken from the 'spirit of unity' in London and the country more broadly, which has allowed the nation to heal.
He said: 'Today, as we mark 20 years since the tragic events of 7th July 2005, my heartfelt thoughts and special prayers remain with all those whose lives were forever changed on that terrible summer's day.'
'We remember with profound sadness the 52 innocent people who were killed in senseless acts of evil – and the enduring grief of their loved ones.
'We recall, too, the hundreds more who carry physical and psychological scars, and pray that their suffering may ease as the years pass.'
'In doing so, we should also remember the countless stories of extraordinary courage and compassion that emerged from the darkness of that day.
'The selfless bravery of our emergency services, transport workers, and fellow citizens who rushed towards danger to help strangers reminds us of the very best of humanity in the face of the very worst.'
The King also stressed the importance of communities coming together in times of adversity.
He said: 'While the horrors will never be forgotten, we may take comfort from the way such events rally communities together in solidarity, solace and determination.
'It is this spirit of unity that has helped London, and our nation, to heal.
'As we remember those we lost, let us, therefore, use this 20th anniversary to reaffirm our commitment to building a society where people of all faiths and backgrounds can live together with mutual respect and understanding, always standing firm against those who would seek to divide us.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News
34 minutes ago
- Sky News
Officers who confronted Southport killer reveal how they disarmed him - as they are nominated for police bravery award
Why you can trust Sky News The officers who confronted the Southport killer have described, for the first time publicly, how they disarmed him - as they joined a list of 70 officers nominated for a police bravery award. Sergeant Greg Gillespie, 42, PC Luke Holden, 31, and PCSO Tim Parry, 32, were the first to arrive as Axel Rudakubana rampaged with a knife through a holiday dance school last summer. Speaking to Sky News about what they saw when arriving at the scene, Sgt Gillespie said: "There was maybe 20 or 25 adults and all of them were looking at me, all of them have this look of terror and fear, panic on their faces and I knew whatever it was we were turning up to was really, really bad." His colleagues drove fast from Southport police station and were thirty seconds or so behind Sgt Gillespie. PC Holden said he saw "a large puddle of blood on the floor outside the door" and said Sgt Gillespie "just looked at me" and asked if he was ready. "That was it, there was no conversation. There was nothing else going on. He said, 'Are you ready?' and I said, 'Yeah, let's go'." PCSO Parry, who doesn't carry a baton or pepper spray like his colleagues, went to the back of the building to stop people from entering, help anyone who needed it, and get information on the number of suspects inside. He said: "It was a horrific scene to really go into because I was so unprepared with the equipment I had." Sgt Gillespie and PC Holden identified the suspect at the top of the stairs, a bloodied knife in his hand, and walked towards him shoulder to shoulder. "I saw him, made eye contact with him, saw his facial expression, saw his body language and the way he moved himself into a position at the top of the stairs, showing us he had a knife," Sgt Gillespie said. "He was fronting us, like he was saying, 'I've got a knife, what are you going to do about it?' "And I think the second he realised he was looking at two people who weren't scared of him, who were going to attack him, all that bravery that he must have summoned up to attack defenceless children, he lost that straightaway, and he threw down the knife." In January, Rudakubana, who was 17 at the time of the attack, admitted the murders of seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe, Bebe King, aged six and Alice da Silva Aguiar, who was nine, as well 10 charges of attempted murder, as well as possessing terrorist material and production of the biological toxin, ricin. He was jailed for life with a minimum of 52 years - with the sentencing judge saying it was "highly likely" he would never be released. Dozens nominated for bravery awards The Merseyside trio are among 70 officers from around England and Wales who have been nominated for tonight's Police Federation national bravery awards. They include two sergeants from Sussex who swam to the rescue of a vulnerable teenager struggling to stay afloat at night off Brighton beach. Police with torches had located her in the sea fifty metres from the shore, but a lifeline they threw to her didn't reach. Sergeant Craig Lees said: "We could see that she was starting to struggle with the cold and tide, and she began to dip under the water. We knew we needed to do something, and that was that we needed to get into the water and swim out to her." His colleague and friend Sergeant Matthew Seekings said: "I don't think it's in the blood of any police officer to watch somebody at risk or somebody needing help and not do something. "When you're in the sea, it's pitch black, you don't even know where the bottom is, it's terrifying, and I can only imagine how the female was feeling." Battling their own fatigue, the two officers managed to get the girl to shore, where colleagues and paramedics were waiting to take over. In Devizes, Wiltshire, PC Nicola Crabbe was called to a town centre fight between two men, one of whom had a knife. 'Just saturated in blood' "They were grappling, and they were just saturated in blood," said PC Crabbe, who confronted the man she thought was the knifeman. "I was in the middle of the road when I grabbed hold of him, and there was a member of the public just there, and that's when he explained to me that I had the wrong person." Armed only with a baton and Pava pepper spray, she grappled with the suspect, trying to find his knife. She said: "At one point he grabbed my hair and kind of dragged me around a bit, so I Pava'd him which just had no effect at all." PC Crabbe managed to restrain the knifeman until colleagues arrived and arrested him. The full list of award winners will be announced on Thursday night during a dinner at a West London hotel.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Ban some foreigners from sickness benefits, Badenoch urges
Kemi Badenoch will call for foreign nationals to be barred from claiming disability and sickness benefits, as she sets out plans for tighter curbs on a speech on Thursday, the Tory leader will describe Britain's benefits bill as a "ticking time bomb" that could "collapse the economy".It comes after the party outlined some of its own proposals to reduce spending, after Labour largely gutted its own plan for benefits cuts after a backbench to bring in remaining government cuts to sickness benefits was approved by MPs on Wednesday evening. But other proposals, including changes to the eligibility criteria for disability benefits, have effectively been put on hold. The government announced plans to shrink welfare spending in March, warning the working-age welfare bill was set to rise by nearly £30bn by 2030 and reforms to the system were required to ensure it remained wanted to make it harder to claim personal independence payment (Pip), the main disability benefit in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and make health-related top-ups for universal credit less generous. But ministers significantly watered down the cuts earlier this month after a huge rebellion from Labour MPs, all but wiping out savings estimated to be worth £5bn a year by the end of the decade. Plans to freeze the higher rate of universal credit for existing health-related claimants have been reversed, whilst all changes to the Pip system have been parked pending a government review into the assessment her speech on Thursday, Badenoch will accuse Labour of being "beholden to left-wing MPs" and "turning a blind eye" to rising benefit will also seek to create a dividing line with Reform UK over the two-child benefit cap, which Nigel Farage's party has pledged to scrap, branding him "Jeremy Corbyn with a pint and a cigarette"."On welfare he shows his true colours - promising unaffordable giveaways with no plan to fix the system," she is expected to add.A Labour spokesperson said "The Conservatives had 14 years to reform welfare - instead, they left the country with a broken system that holds people back and fails to support the most vulnerable."The party also warned that the Conservative proposal could see disabled British nationals living abroad being denied support if other countries decided to take a similar approach. Tory welfare proposals The Conservatives have not backed the government's legislation to deliver the changes, arguing its proposals do not go far have set out some plans of their own to shrink welfare spending in the form of amendments to the government's plans, which were defeated on include limiting access to Pips and the health-related part of universal credit to those with "less severe" mental health conditions, and preventing claimants from receiving payments without a face-to-face also say both benefits should only be paid to British citizens, with exceptions for those covered by international agreements, such as citizens from EU countries who have acquired settled status in the the moment, foreign nationals gain access to the welfare system when they are granted indefinite leave to remain or refugee status. Applicants for Pip generally need to have lived in Britain for at least two of the last three seekers are not allowed to apply for benefits, although they have access to taxpayer-funded accommodation and separate financial shadow minister Neil O'Brien has said he has obtained figures under freedom of information laws showing universal credit payments to households containing at least one foreign national stood at £941m a month as of working out the exact scale of payments to non-UK nationals specifically is complicated, because the Department for Work and Pensions does not provide a breakdown of claimants by immigration status and the department is due to publish the first such breakdown next week, and has committed to updates every three months thereafter. Sign up for our Politics Essential newsletter to read top political analysis, gain insight from across the UK and stay up to speed with the big moments. It'll be delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Europe's top pickpocket hotspots revealed by ex-detective
An ex-detective has revealed Europe 's top pickpocketing destinations, as Brits gear up for the summer holidays. Appearing on BBC Morning Live on Wednesday (9 July), Rebecca Mason cautioned that whilst theft can happen anywhere, big cities rank the highest. Rome is the most pickpocketed place in Europe, with Mason highlighting the Trevi Fountain as the most common spot. 'People throw a coin in the fountain for good luck but it's not really good luck if you are targeted by a thief', she said. Barcelona, Paris, Amsterdam, Prague, Lisbon also ranked very highly, whilst closer to home, London has been revealed to be the phone theft capital of Europe.
