Ladies and Gentlemen,
As with so many other people across this country, I remember vividly the appalling shock and outrage I felt on 7th of July 2005 when I learnt about the savage attacks in London. That such dreadfully barbaric atrocities should be perpetrated on the streets of our Capital was an assault on us all, and on everything we stand for as a Nation.
For the victims, and for you, their loved ones, the horror of that day was total. Fifty two people were cruelly robbed of their lives; nearly eight hundred people were injured; families were torn apart and the most unimaginable pain and grief were visited upon so many of you.
Four years later, on 7th July 2009, my wife and I were proud to join you for the dedication of the London Bombings Memorial in Hyde Park, and to play our part in honouring the memory of those you had lost. When meeting you that day, my wife and I were struck by your courage and dignity, by the remarkable compassion you showed for one another, and by the bond forged through the unspeakable anguish you shared. I know that these connections between you have been a source of considerable strength and comfort over the years, united as you are by the grief, sorrow and intense despair that each of you has known.
I can only begin to imagine, therefore, how agonizing it must be for you that you are unable to gather today. It seems so desperately cruel that the pandemic should have denied you this occasion to see and to hold each other; to be together, as you mourn and remember.
Nevertheless, as you gather virtually, I pray you may be able to take strength from knowing that in your homes or wherever you might be, you are once again joined together by everything that you share.
For all of us, today is an occasion to remember those who were so tragically lost and to stand with those who were left behind. It is also an opportunity to reaffirm our shared determination that tolerance and compassion will triumph over division and hatred and that hope will always prevail. In all of this, Ladies and Gentlemen, I could hardly be more proud to join you and I send you my special thoughts and blessings.
