People across the UK have taken part in a minute’s silence to remember Covid-19 victims, marking one year since the first lockdown began.

MPs and peers in both Houses of Parliament and ministers in the devolved nations marked the solemn anniversary at midday, while NHS and social care workers also joined the pause for reflection.

Ken Macintosh, the Scottish Parliament’s presiding officer, led the minute’s silence on the garden lobby steps at Holyrood along with party leaders.

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He said: “This global pandemic has taken so much from so many. This Parliament stands shoulder to shoulder with all those who have suffered, all those grieving loved ones, and those whose lives have been changed forever.

“As parliamentarians we have heard directly from people who have been sorely affected, but we have also seen our own communities responding with care and understanding.

“This should give us all hope for the future as we seek to rebuild our country.”

Elsewhere, prominent buildings and landmarks throughout the UK were illuminated as part of the national day of reflection, including the Kelpies, Wallace Monument and Ness Bridge.

People are being encouraged to stand on their doorsteps with phones, candles and torches to signify a “beacon of remembrance”.

End of life charity Marie Curie is organising the event, which is being backed by more than 100 organisations, including the emergency services, businesses, charities and community groups.

The Queen reflected on the “grief and loss felt by so many” as she paid tribute to the service of health and care workers in a message to St Bartholomew’s Hospital, where the Duke of Edinburgh had heart surgery.

Flowers and a message from the Queen to staff at St Bartholomew’s Hospital (Dominic Lipinski/PA)Flowers and a message from the Queen to staff at St Bartholomew’s Hospital (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

The London Eye, Tate Britain, Blackpool Tower, and Belfast City Hall are other buildings to be lit in yellow on Tuesday evening to mark the occasion.

The public is also being urged to stand on their doorsteps at 8pm with a candle or light.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has offered his “sincere condolences to those who have lost loved ones”, observed the minute’s silence privately.

It came on the day new figures from the Office for National Statistics showed a total of 149,117 people have had Covid-19 recorded on their death certificate since the pandemic began.

Earlier, Downing Street said Mr Johnson had reflected with Cabinet ministers on Tuesday morning on what had been “a very dark and difficult year” for the nation.

A No 10 spokesman said: “The PM said that we mourn all those we have lost and send our deepest sympathies to their families, friends and loved ones.

“The PM said the last year had also shown the great strengths of the British public, which had demonstrated such resilience and fortitude and had shown such willingness to work together for a common good.

“The PM and Cabinet paid tribute to the extraordinary service of everyone in the NHS, social care and in the public sector over the past year, along with all those who had kept the country going – from bus drivers to shop workers.

“The PM said the ability of British scientists to respond to the pandemic had been incredible.

“He said that, if asked last March, he would not have believed it would have been possible to have developed a vaccine and delivered it to half of the UK adult population within 12 months.

“The PM said this was an absolutely astonishing achievement, which is a tribute to British science but also to British business.”

Reflecting on the last year, Mr Hancock said: “I think the last year has been probably the hardest year in a generation.

“This crisis has touched everybody. My first thoughts go to those who’ve lost loved ones. The impact of that is permanent, I know that from my family.

“And, obviously, it’s vital that we are constantly learning and constantly looking at the evidence, listening to scientific advisers, listening to all of the advice and looking at what has happened and how we can improve the response throughout that.”

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer was among those who joined the minute’s silence to remember those who have lost their lives.

Earlier, he tweeted: “As we mark one year since our country entered the first lockdown, my thoughts are with all those who have lost loved ones since the pandemic began.”

The Herald: People clapped after observing a minute's silence outside the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow during the National Day of Reflection on the anniversary of the first national lockdownPeople clapped after observing a minute's silence outside the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow during the National Day of Reflection on the anniversary of the first national lockdown

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted on Tuesday morning: “One year on. Thinking today of all those who have lost a loved one to Covid, and to everyone who continues to make heartbreaking sacrifices as we continue to navigate our way through this terrible ordeal, together.

“Also, many people have lost loved ones to causes other than Covid over the past 12 months. The restrictions in place have made the grieving process even more difficult than it would have been – my thoughts are with you too.”