Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer Lays Wreath at Auschwitz Concentration Camp Ahead of 80th Anniversary of Its Liberation
Sir Keir Starmer’s visit to Auschwitz Concentration Camp, ahead of the 80th anniversary of its liberation, was a profoundly moving experience, not just for him but also for his wife, Victoria Starmer. Victoria, who has Jewish heritage, found the visit deeply personal and emotional, as it connected her to the painful history of the Holocaust that claimed the lives of millions of Jews, including members of her extended community. Walking through the grounds of Auschwitz, a place of unimaginable suffering, served as a stark reminder of the atrocities her ancestors endured, amplifying the personal resonance of the visit.
For Victoria, the visit was a moment to reflect on the enduring impact of the Holocaust on Jewish families across the world, including her own. It was a sombre yet significant opportunity to honour the victims and survivors, and to reaffirm the importance of remembering history to prevent such horrors from occurring again. The experience underscored her commitment to her cultural identity and her shared values with her husband in combatting antisemitism and promoting tolerance and understanding.
The visit also had a profound effect on their shared sense of purpose as a couple. Sir Keir’s presence at Auschwitz, alongside his wife, symbolised their united stance against hatred and prejudice. It highlighted Victoria’s role in supporting her husband’s political journey, particularly in areas involving human rights, remembrance, and social justice. For her, it reinforced the importance of education about the Holocaust and the need to pass its lessons to future generations.
Ultimately, the visit was both a personal and symbolic moment for Victoria Starmer, strengthening her resolve to honour her heritage and advocate for a world free from discrimination. It deepened her bond with her husband, aligning their shared values of justice, equality, and remembrance in the face of one of history’s darkest chapters. Nothing could prepare me for the sheer horror of what I have seen in this place. It is utterly harrowing. The mounds of hair, the shoes, the suitcases, the names and details, everything that was so meticulously kept, except for human life.
As I stood by the train tracks at Birkenau, looking across that cold, vast expanse, I felt a sickness, an air of desolation, as I tried to comprehend the enormity of this barbarous, planned, industrialised murder: a million people killed here for one reason, simply because they were Jewish.
My visit today has also shown me more clearly than ever before, how this was not the evil deeds of a few bad individuals. It took a collective endeavour by thousands of ordinary people who each played their part in constructing this whole industry of death. To build the tracks, drive the trains, extract the hair and teeth, conceive the method of mass murder – each stomach-churning step rooted in the hatred of difference. The lessons of this darkest of crimes are the ultimate warning to humanity of where prejudice can lead.
My wife was equally moved by what she saw today. It was her second visit, but no less harrowing than the first time she stepped through that gate and witnessed the depravity of what happened here. Time and again we condemn this hatred, and we boldly say “never again”. But where is never again, when we see the poison of antisemitism rising around the world in aftermath of October 7th? Where is never again, when the pulse of fear is beating in our own Jewish community, as people are despicably targeted once again for the very same reason, because they are Jewish.
The truth that I have seen here today will stay with me for the rest of my life. So too, will my determination to defend that truth, to fight the poison of antisemitism and hatred in all its forms, and to do everything I can to make “never again” mean what it says, and what it must truly mean: never again.
