UK Holocaust Memorial

A UK Holocaust Memorial and learning centre was first proposed in 2015 to preserve the testimony of British Holocaust survivors and concentration camp liberators and to honour Jewish and other victims of attempted extermination by Nazi Germany, including Gypsies and disabled people.

In 2016 a site in Victoria Tower Gardens, a public park next to the Houses of Parliament in London, was chosen for the memorial. This location caused controversy because of the popularity and nature of the location and the amount of space the memorial would take.

In July 2021, following a public inquiry, planning permission was granted for the Memorial. In November 2021 the High Court allowed a review of that decision. In April 2022, the planning permission was quashed and, in July 2022, the Court of Appeal refused an application for the case to be reheard, ruling that the planning process had overlooked a 1900 law banning construction in the park. In February 2023, the Holocaust Memorial Bill was introduced to repeal the 1900 statute that prevented construction of the memorial; following the 2024 United Kingdom general election, the Bill was reintroduced in July 2024.

In January 2014, UK Prime Minister David Cameron tasked a Holocaust Commission with establishing what more Britain could do to preserve the memory of the Holocaust and ensure that the lessons it teaches are never forgotten. The Commission ran a national call for evidence, to which there were nearly 2,500 responses. This included one of Britain's largest ever gatherings of Holocaust survivors at Wembley Stadium. The Holocaust Commission report was published in 2015. It concluded:

and recommended:

The learning centre was to be a visitors' centre and research facility which would teach visitors about the Holocaust and subsequent genocides with the aid of media including historic photographs, film footage and audio recordings.

On 28 January 2021, the then Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick announced that the government would provide free entry, in perpetuity, to all visitors. "Giving universal free access to the memorial puts the UK on the same footing as the most important monuments and museums and will reassure Holocaust survivors their testimony will be freely available to all when they are no longer able to tell the story themselves, forever," Jenrick said. Subject to planning permission, it was expected to open in 2024.

The UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation (UKHMF) was formed to oversee the project.