Starmer pays tribute to Mervyn Kersh and Manfred Goldberg at the start of PMQs

Kersh was born in Brixton in 1924 and joined the British Army in 1943.

Starmer has previously paid tribute to Kersh in a column to mark the anniversary of VE Day in May this year and hosted him and other survivors in a reception in Downing Street to mark Holocaust Memorial Day in January.

The prime minister also paid tribute to Holocaust survivor Manfred Goldberg, who died last week aged 95.

He told MPs: “The House will also want to join me in remembering Holocaust survivor Manfred Goldberg. He showed the most extraordinary courage to share his testimony, and in his memory, we must ensure that ‘never again’ means never again.”

Goldberg, who survived the Riga ghetto and Stutthof concentration camp, became a Holocaust educator later in life, sharing his story in schools and travelling with the Holocaust Education Trust as a guide and speaker.

Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch supported Starmer’s comments about Kersh and Goldberg.

Karen Pollock MBE, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, who was also in the House of Commons public gallery, described the prime minister's tribute to Manfred Goldberg as "moving and fitting.

"His words reflected Manfred’s profound impact on this country and its leaders."

She continued: "It was also very special to hear the Prime Minister honour 100-year-old veteran Mervyn Kersh, who watched from the gallery. Both gave so much to this country, and it is only right that they are honoured in this way."

Lord Austin, who hosted Kersh in Parliament, told the JC: “Mervyn Kersh is a great man and great British hero. It was a privilege to welcome him to Parliament and to hear the prime minister’s and Leader of the Opposition’s tributes.

"Mervyn’s visit reminds us that his generation fought for our freedom and Britain’s values of democracy, freedom, fairness, decency and tolerance and our generation needs to do much more to defend them and oppose extremism today.”

Badenoch’s exchanges with Starmer at PMQs centred around briefings to the press, apparently from sources close to the prime minister, against cabinet colleagues including the health secretary, Wes Streeting.

“This morning on the BBC, the health secretary said there is a toxic culture in Downing Street that needs to change. He's right, isn't he?” she teased.

Starmer distanced himself from the briefings against his cabinet, saying: “Any attack on any member of my cabinet is completely unacceptable.”

Later on during their exchange, Badenoch accused Starmer of being a “weak Prime Minister at war with his own cabinet”, adding: “Two weeks before the budget, isn't it the case that this prime minister has lost control of his government, he's lost the confidence of his party and lost the trust of the British people.”

The prime minister hit back and accused the Conservatives of being responsible for breaking the economy.