Lady Starmer visibly moved at No10 tea for Shoah survivor and Holocaust Education Trust ambassadors

Lady Starmer gave a tour of 10 Downing Street to ambassadors from the Holocaust Education Trust (Photo: Number 10)[Missing Credit]

During the reception, Lady Starmer – who became the first practising Jewish resident of Downing Street when her husband was elected PM in 2024 – was reunited with Holocaust survivor Annick Lever BEM, whom she met at the Labour Party conference last September.

Lever was born in Nazi-occupied France in November 1943 and survived the war after being smuggled out of prison as a baby.

Meanwhile, Lady Starmer’s father’s family fled Poland before the war.

Seated next to Lever, the wife of the prime minister was joined by nine HET ambassadors – young people selected by their schools for their commitment to Holocaust education – and asked them about their role.

One ambassador described being moved by a collection of recipes written in secret on scraps of paper, another spoke about hearing first-hand testimony from Shoah survivors, while a third said they had learned about medieval antisemitism in England.

After tea and biscuits were passed around by Lady Starmer, she treated the group to a tour of the famous house.

Daisy Davies, a regional ambassador for HET in Wales, said it was a “privilege” to speak to Lady Starmer about the role of ambassadors “to honour the memory of the victims and survivors of the Holocaust, and defend those subject to antisemitism today”.

The group received a tour from Lady Starmer (Photo: Number 10)[Missing Credit]

“As we continue to lose survivors, conversations like the one we had today ensure that the lessons from the Holocaust are never forgotten,” she said.

Tom Green, a regional ambassador for HET in Scotland, said the visit to Downing Street had been “a truly unforgettable experience”.

“We ambassadors are well aware of our responsibility as the next generation, to ensure the Holocaust is never forgotten and we could not be more grateful for this opportunity,” he said.

Karen Pollock CBE, the chief executive of HET, said the charity was “enormously grateful to Mrs Starmer for inviting young HET ambassadors to 10 Downing Street” and for “taking the time to listen as these inspirational young people shared their determination to keep the legacy of the Holocaust alive”.

Nine HET ambassadors alongside Annick Lever BEM (Photo: Number 10)[Missing Credit]

“Mrs Starmer reuniting with Holocaust survivor Annick Lever BEM was especially moving, as was witnessing the hope that this young generation of ambassadors give survivors like Annick for the future,” Pollock, who also accompanied Lady Starmer on her visit to Auschwitz last year, said.

Pollock went on: “These ambassadors are the generation that will protect the memory of the Holocaust.

“They have travelled to Auschwitz-Birkenau and stood at the site where around one million Jewish men, women and children were murdered. They return determined to share what they have learned and to challenge antisemitism today.

“More than 80 years on, as the Holocaust moves from living memory to history and the voices of survivors sadly fade, the responsibility to carry forward their legacy passes firmly to the next generation. Our ambassadors are that next generation and Victoria’s encouragement has given them extra confidence to continue this vital work.”