MPs have observed a one-minute silence in the House of Commons to mark the 80th anniversary of the declaration on the persecution of the Jews.
The declaration is described by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust as the first public announcement by the British government on the Nazis’ attempt to murder Europe’s Jewish population.
The declaration took place on December 17, 1942, and reports from the time say that in response, MPs rose spontaneously and stood for a moment in silence.
Marking the anniversary in the Commons chamber on Thursday were both Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, alongside other MPs.
Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle told the House that seven survivors of the Holocaust were present in the gallery to witness the commemoration, alongside representatives of Britain’s Jewish community and the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust.
Sir Lindsay described it as an “important moment” and a “tribute to all those who suffered at the hands of the Nazis”.
He said: “Before we start our business, I wish to invite the House to commemorate a tragic and sombre event.
The evil acts described in the declaration were and remain difficult to comprehend— Sir Lindsay Hoyle
“On December 17, 1942, 80 years ago on Saturday, the then foreign secretary, Anthony Eden, read to the House a declaration issued by the wartime allies, condemning the treatment of Jewish people by the Nazis in occupied Europe.
“The declaration followed a diplomatic note sent to the allied powers a week earlier by the Polish foreign minister in exile, the first official report that the Holocaust was under way.
“The evil acts described in the declaration were and remain difficult to comprehend.”
Journalists were not allowed in the press gallery to observe the silence, but the moment was captured on Parliament’s broadcasting system.
