Jeremy Hunt announces £1million war memorial for Muslims who died in the two world wars in his Budget

Mar 7, 2024 by Jill

By Aidan Radnedge, Daily Mail:

Jeremy Hunt has announced £1million plans for Muslims who died in the First and Second World Wars in his Budget.

The chancellor said it would honour those Muslims lost ‘in the service of freedom and democracy’.

As he began his Budget speech on Wednesday, Mr Hunt vowed that past sacrifices made by those who lost their lives – no matter their faith, colour or class – would not be forgotten.

His Conservative colleague Sir Sajid Javid had asked last month how the Government would help with a proposal to establish a memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.

Sir Sajid, an ex-Chancellor, suggested it should honour an estimated 750,000 Muslims who have fought for British armed forces.

Mr Hunt told the Commons: ‘As we mourn the tragic loss of life in Israel and Gaza, the Prime Minister reminded us last week of the need to fight extremism and heal divisions.

‘So I start today by remembering the Muslims who died in two world wars in the service of freedom and democracy.

‘We need a memorial to honour them, so following representations from the Right Honourable Member for Bromsgrove (Sajid Javid) and others, I’ve decided to allocate £1million towards the cost of building one.

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