‘Now I need to earn my MBE’, says Rachel Riley after receiving honour

Countdown presenter Rachel Riley has said she needs to “earn” her MBE, after being recognised for services to Holocaust education and fighting antisemitism.

Riley received her honour from the King at Windsor Castle on Tuesday, joined by her parents and husband Pasha Kovalev, after being announced in the New Year Honours list.

She said more could be done to prevent the spread of antisemitic hatred online with stronger legislation, after being a vocal critic of Labour’s handling of alleged antisemitism within the party.

After receiving her honour, Riley said: “It’s really special – now I need to earn it.

“The Holocaust Survivors’ Centre had a reception a few months ago where there were many survivors being rewarded. Compared to what they went through, my experiences are nothing.”

Riley said there was a trend of antisemitism being on the rise, while knowledge of the Holocaust was in decline, and that Jewish communities were having to take precautions as a consequence.

She said: “You go into a Jewish school, organisation or charity and often they’re unmarked, they always have tight security and primary school children are taught how to hide in case there’s a terrorist attack. That’s not normal in Britain.”

Riley said she would continue her work as an ambassador for the Centre for Countering Digital Hate, as she felt much antisemitism was spread online and that “legislation hasn’t kept up with the speed that social media has grown”.

The TV personality said it was nice to finally meet the King, after she missed out on a reception for British Jews that he attended while she was heavily pregnant.

“The King is a big advocate for all faiths and inter-faith relations, it’s one of his passion projects. He was genuinely interested in what I’ve done to deserve it,” she added.