Starmer: My national curriculum review will see all schools teach Holocaust
Prime minister tells Holocaust Educational Trust dinner: 'Just as I fought to bring my party back from the abyss of antisemitism, I will do the same in leading the country'
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
Every school in the country will be required to teach pupils about the Holocaust as a result of the government’s new national curriculum review, Keir Starmer has confirmed.
In a speech delivered at the annual Holocaust Educational Trust dinner in London on Monday night, the prime minister also committed to ensuring that every student in the country had the opportunity to hear a recorded testimony from a survivor as part of a new “national ambition” to improve education about the Shoah.
He said: “For the first time, studying the Holocaust will become a critical, vital part of every single student’s identity. And not just studying it, learning from it too and above all, acting on its lessons.”
Then in a pointed reference to the October 7 Hamas terror attacks, the PM recalled that “over a thousand people were massacred by Hamas, for the very same reason: because they were Jewish.”
“We say ‘never again’ and yet in the last year we’ve seen record levels of antisemitism right here in Britain,” he continued.
In a reference to the displays of extremism amongst some on Palestime demos, the PM condemned what he said was “hatred marching on our streets.”
In a well-received speech, later praised by Labour grandee Lord Levy, Starmer vowed to “proudly” build the National Holocaust Memorial near to parliament.
Speaking to more than 500 guests, including survivors and their familes and Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, at a hotel in central London, Starmer, who attended the dinner with is wife Victoria, pledged new funding from the government to help deliver school visits to Auschwitz.
He also promised to join the charity himself on visit to Auschwitz himself to honour the memory of those who were murdered there by Nazis.
To applause from those in the room, Starmer said: “Just as I fought to bring my party back from the abyss of antisemitism, I promise you I will do the same in leading the country.”
Reflecting on the new government’s promise to improve teaching in the nation’s schools, Starmer said: “There is currently a review of our national curriculum.
“Well, tonight I am making two decisions in advance of that review. First, the Holocaust will remain on the curriculum.
“Second, even schools who do not currently have to follow the national curriculum will have to teach the Holocaust when the new curriculum comes in. For the first time, studying the Holocaust will become a critical, vital part of every single student’s identity. And not just studying it… learning from it too and, above all, acting on its lessons.”
Starmer added: “Tonight I want to set a new national ambition, that as part of their education every student in the country should have the opportunity to hear a recorded survivor testimony.
“And I want us to fulfil this ambition, in this precious period while we still have survivors with us able to help us get this right.”
In a moving speech, Starmer also recalled how he had sat last week with family of a murdered Hamas hostage.
In a sign of the government’s determination to be seen supporting the work of HET, cabinet ministers including Rachel Reeves, Wes Streeting and Bridget Phillpson were at the event, along with minister Sarah Sackman.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper was also seen spending time speaking at length with survivors ahead of taking her seat for the dinner.
Starmer’s hint at what is to come in the national curricuum means schools who are not currently required to follow the national curriculum will be required to teach the Holocaust when the government’s new curriculum is introduced.
Starmer’s speech comes amid months of pro-Palestinian demonstrations across the country in which some activists have attempted to refrain the Holocaust around Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza.
Looking ahead to Holocaust Memorial Day and the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration and death camp in January, Starmer praised the HET’s Lessons from Auschwitz programme, which enables hundreds of pupils each year to visit Auschwitz and share their experiences.
He will commit to provide at least £2.2m next year to continue the programme.
“Over the last 20 years tens of thousands of students have had that life-changing opportunity to visit Auschwitz in person and to share their experience with their peers,” he said.
“The shoes, the hair, the suitcases, the train tracks, the gas chamber. It’s utterly, utterly horrific. But it’s a truth we have to remember.
“And I know there is nothing quite as powerful as seeing it for yourself. So I will join the Holocaust Educational Trust for one of these visits myself. This government will continue funding Lessons from Auschwitz and I can confirm that tonight we are providing at least £2.2m next year.”
The PM also commended HET’s Testimony360 programme, which uses advanced technologies to enable students to hear and interact with survivors, who have recorded answers to thousands of possible questions from pupils. Reflecting on the record levels of antisemitism seen across the UK over the past year, the PM said he will recommit government to tackling the problem and protecting Jewish communities.
He added: “We will not be silent, we will not look the other way.
“We will call out antisemitism for what it is: hatred pure and simple. And we will fight this with everything we have got. And look, I feel this very personally.
“So just as I fought to bring my party back from the abyss of antisemitism I promise you – I will do the same in leading the country.”
Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said: “Tonight we came together with over 500 supporters and reflected on the unprecedented challenges we face today – antisemitism at the highest level in a generation, the Holocaust moving from living memory and further into history and the disgusting denial and distortion of the past being seen day after day.
“These challenges have become even more urgent in the wake of the horrific October 7th terrorist attack in Israel – the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust.
“As we face these issues head on, we are enormously grateful to the prime minister, Keir Starmer, for joining us this evening and clearly highlighting the central place that the Holocaust must continue to have in our national consciousness; and expressing the need for everyone to stand united in the fight against antisemitism today.”
Prior to the main speeches, a group of HET ambassadors gave an emotional and fitting performance, stressing the need to speak the truth about the Shoah.
The evening was compared by BBC Radio 4 Today presenter Nick Robinson who also stressed that while on occasion words may be said that spark division inside the room on Monday all were “united” in supprt for the HET cause.
Robinson also stressed the need to survivors stories to be told for generations to come.
Craig Leviton, HET chair, told guests how survivors raised repeat concern to him about rising antisemtism.
Others to attend included former Tory minster Sajid Javid, along with respected Conservative peer Howard Leigh.
Rob Rinder and Ed Balls were among the television personalities in the room, along with Jewish Labour figures Luciana Berger and Baroness Anderson, and Lord Austin.
Following the reception it emerged that over £1 million had been raised for HET.
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