London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 30, 2025

Clap for our Carers: the very unBritish ritual that united the nation

After nine extraordinary weeks the woman behind the event said Thursday’s should be the last

On Thursday 26 March, Britons stood just inside their front doors, a little unsure if they would be the only ones taking part in a very unBritish ritual. It was three days since Boris Johnson had announced a draconian lockdown, and, in a horrifyingly fearful time, it was not difficult to feel immense gratitude to those health workers risking everything to save lives. But was anyone else really going to turn out to clap?

Few can have predicted the wall of noise that followed that first Thursday night and every Thursday since – the applause rising from doorsteps, the smiles and waves between neighbours who had never previously spoken to each other, the new national ritual that, for many, became the clearest fixed point in the week. Isolated in our homes, we were speaking together as never before.

After nine extraordinary weeks – in which millions stood at their windows or doors to cheer and clank saucepans, hospital forecourts filled with applauding health workers, and landmarks the length of the country were illuminated in NHS blue – the woman behind Clap for our Carers spoke out this week to say that Thursday’s burst of applause, in her view, should be the last.

“To have the most impact, I think it is good to stop it at its peak,” said Anne-Marie Plas. “Without getting too political,” she said, she agreed with those who felt the national moment of applause was becoming politicised. “I think the narrative is starting to change, and I don’t want the clap to be negative.”

The message had got through on social media at least, where countless accounts urged their followers on Thursday, if this was indeed the last clap, to “make it a good one”. The Twitter account of Visit Blackpool, temporarily rebranded Do Not Visit Blackpool, was typical: “It’s the last hurrah for #ClapForCarers tonight so let’s give an extra loud clap! Thank you to our NHS and key workers for their dedication.”

It made for a particularly emotional moment, as applause and cheers again swelled above the nation’s streets, and health workers gathered once more to embrace and acknowledge the nation’s thanks. North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust marked the occasion by posting a video of some of its staff applauding. “Tonight is the final #ClapforCarers – and we wanted to give YOU a round of applause as we clap for the country.”

In truth, of course, “the clap” has been highly political from its first incarnation, when Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson emerged from their Downing Street front doors to clap in front of the assembled camera crews, even as the medics they were thanking warned of the terrifying crisis hurtling towards them.

A few weeks in, a beaming Matt Hancock, the health secretary, posted a video of himself applauding with colleagues on a departmental rooftop, adding: “A huge THANK YOU to our incredible NHS and social care staff. We can never thank you enough for all that you are doing for the nation.” With hundreds of people dying each day, and NHS and care workers appallingly exposed by an ongoing lack of PPE, the replies were caustic.

As Britain’s crisis has intensified, bringing horrifying and shaming numbers of deaths, a flailing government and – most recently – political scandal, the country’s gratitude has not faded, but applause has increasingly felt for many like an inadequately simplistic response. With increasing numbers of health workers calling for the ritual to end – one, in the Guardian, describing it as “a sentimental distraction from the issues facing us” – the fate of the weekly clap was perhaps sealed.

Will the connections it forged last beyond the current crisis? “Ten weeks ago I drew the curtains to see if anyone but me knew anything about this clapping and the figures of strangers were standing there at the windows,” the novelist Linda Grant tweeted immediately after 8pm on Thursday. “Now they’re familiar faces.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
×