Boris Johnson pays tribute to 'heroic' fundraiser Captain Tom and vows to 'recognise' veteran's achievements
Captain Tom Moore has so far raised over £13m for the NHS
2 min read
Boris Johnson has paid tribute to the "heroic" fundraiser Captain Tom after raising £13 million for the NHS by walking round his garden.
His official spokesman said the Prime Minister wanted to "recognise" the 99-year-old's efforts and the "lifetime of bravery and compassion" he has shown.
It comes after thousands of people backed more that 100 petitions calling for the World War Two veteran to recieve a knighthood for his efforts, while others have suggested a hospital could be named in his honour.
He had initially set out to raise £1,000 for the health service by completing 100 laps around his garden before his 100th birthday on 30 April.
But the pensioner, who said the NHS "deserves everything we can give them", has smashed the record for the largest ever fundraiser on the Just Giving website.
Asked about the effort, a spokesman for Boris Johnson said: "Tom has captured the heart of the nation with his heroic efforts and has raised an incredible amount of money for hard working NHS staff.
"He has embodied the spirit of the whole country in doing their bit for the battle against coronavirus to support the NHS and save lives."
They added: "From his military contributions to his support for NHS staff, Tom has demonstrated a lifetime of bravery and compassion.
"The Prime Minister will certainly be looking at ways to recognise Tom for his heroic efforts."
Speaking to Good Morning Britain on Thursday, Mr Moore said he would be "absolutely amazed" if he was to be offered a knighthood.
He said: "I really would. I find it unbelievable that it is likely to happen - I could never ever ever anticipated that."
It comes after Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he wanted to pay a "special tribute" to the pensioner during Wednesday's Downing Street briefing, adding: "Captain Tom, you're an inspiration to us all, and we thank you."
The war hero began his efforts earlier this month in a bid to thanks NHS staff who had treated him for a broken hip, but said he never expected to raise so much.
He told BBC One: "I think that's absolutely enormous.
"At no time when we started off with this exercise did we anticipate we'd get anything near that sort of money.
"It just shows that people have such high regard for matters of our National Health Service and it's really amazing that people have paid so much money."
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