The row over a proposed Holocaust Memorial beside Parliament intensified today as Sadiq Khan said it should be built to make a “powerful national statement” about fighting intolerance.
The Mayor fears plans for the £102 million memorial and education centre may be rejected after thousands of objections were submitted to Westminster council.
The memorial, backed with £75 million of public money, has the support of the Government, but critics including the Royal Parks and Historic England believe the proposed location in Victoria Tower Gardens is inappropriate.
Mr Khan, in a letter to the council, said: “As we see the scourge of anti-Semitism and hate crime increasing across our country, now more than ever we need a National Holocaust Memorial, so we can learn the lessons from history, as well as pay tribute to the victims of the Nazi genocide.”
A council spokesman said: “The City Council has made it very clear that the decision ... will be made on planning grounds after careful assessment of all the representations received.”
