Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged the public to join in the show of appreciation for the 100-year-old as well as health workers at 6pm on Wednesday evening.

The House of Commons fell silent in tribute to Sir Tom ahead of Prime Minister’s Questions, and Mr Johnson told MPs the centenarian had dedicated his life to serving others.

He said: “We all now have the opportunity to show our appreciation for him and all that he stood for and believed in.

“That is why I encourage everyone to join in a national clap for Captain Tom and all those health workers for whom he raised money at 6pm this evening.”

His death on Tuesday after testing positive for Covid-19 has prompted reaction from around the world and charities have vowed his legacy will live on “for years and years”.

His family said the last year of his life was “nothing short of remarkable”, and that he had “experienced things he’d only ever dreamed of”.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said Captain Tom’s contribution – having raised more than £32 million for the NHS during the first coronavirus lockdown – will be formally marked.

Asked whether a statue might be built “in possibly his home town or where he was born or in London”, Mr Hancock told LBC: “Yes, I do think that we should find a way, at the right time, to honour the contribution that he made to the NHS and he was an inspiration to so many people.”

Sir Tom set out to raise £1,000 for NHS Charities Together by walking 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday last April – but his efforts struck a chord with the nation and donations flooded in.

In acknowledgement of his fundraising, he was knighted by the Queen during a unique open-air ceremony at Windsor Castle in summer 2020.