Holocaust Memorial Bill

Lord Hacking Excerpts

Report stage
Wednesday 11th June 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Fleet (Con)]

My Lords, I strongly support the amendments in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Verdirame, who presented them with compelling logic. I also congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Deech, on her leadership on this Bill and her brilliant speeches.

We have heard what a deeply contentious and divisive issue the proposed memorial is. I spoke in Committee about my very real concerns about a number of aspects of this Bill. Today, I will add a few brief comments about the purpose of the learning centre, and I shall focus on antisemitism. I am not Jewish, but my husband is; his parents came to England in 1938—Sylvie from Vienna and George from Prague, young refugees, mere teenagers, who were among the fortunate few who escaped the hell of Hitler. They were grateful to Britain, but they knew that the antisemitism of British officials and politicians, as referenced by the noble Baroness, Lady Deech, prevented thousands of Jews from being saved from the Holocaust. I repeat that today because it is central to my argument.

It could be argued that when the Holocaust Commission’s 2015 report, Britain’s Promise to Remember, was published, many people were not aware of antisemitism in this country; it was seldom on our front pages. Then came 7 October. If noble Lords have not yet read the 7 October Parliamentary Commission Report, I urge them to do so. Chaired by my noble friend Lord Roberts of Belgravia, it is a definitive and utterly shocking description of Islamic-inspired horror and a deep hatred of Jews.

In spite of worldwide coverage of the events of 7 October, antisemitism became even more rampant globally. In London, antisemitism continues to be tolerated by the police and the Mayor of London. Even when the hateful slogan, “From the River to the Sea”, was projected on to the Elizabeth Tower, the police did nothing. Did the police not know the meaning—that this is a call for the destruction of Israel and the 8 million Jews who live there? Do noble Lords believe that the Met will have the will to stop antisemitic protests at the proposed memorial? They could not even stop a pro-Palestine protester climbing up the Elizabeth Tower, as we heard from the noble Lord, Lord Carlile.

The failure to confront antisemitism in universities and public debate, including on the BBC, shows the difficulties of effective Holocaust education. The BBC is complicit in the rise of antisemitism, propagating daily the lies of Hamas. I draw noble Lords’ attention to Allison Pearson of the Telegraph, who last week described how the BBC’s Israel reporting is fuelling antisemitism. I raise this because it is really important that when we talk about antisemitism we understand what it is and why. Do we really think that a small digital learning centre can really tackle this issue?

The BBC has been captured by the anti-Israeli lobby. Has anyone been fired for antisemitism? The director-general, Tim Davie, is out of his depth, with little apparent understanding of the significance of what is happening under his watch. Can a digital learning centre really tackle the complex issue of antisemitism? No, it cannot.

The Minister has said that the memorial and learning centre is intended to be a national focal point of Holocaust remembrance, to host events on Holocaust Memorial Day. No—the memorial and learning centre will become a focal point of antisemitism.

Antisemitism is complex and deeply embedded in our society. Will the Holocaust memorial’s digital learning centre ever begin to tackle this complex issue? No, it will not. Digital displays cannot begin to foster a real understanding of the 5,000-year history, the suffering and the determined survival of the Jewish people. I am saddened by the suggestion that noble Lords who choose not to support all aspects of the Bill might somehow be antisemitic—quite the reverse. The few survivors still with us are divided. Just as this House is divided, the Jewish community is divided.

I finish by quoting a short extract from a letter that was sent to us all by the learned Rabbi Gluck, who wrote:

“I can see no value in the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre planned for Victoria Tower Gardens … The Learning Centre is too small to be useful, it will trivialise the unique nature of the Shoah and render it impossible to learn anything … about antisemitism, past and present (as was pointed out by Holocaust survivors to the Commons Select Committee).”

[Lord Hacking (Lab)]

My Lords, I am at a disadvantage because I have not seen the manuscript amendment, Amendment 4A, but I will make just a few comments. The noble Lord, Lord Herbert, has already suggested that the centre should include other aspects of the concentration camps in Germany—for example, the treatment of homosexuals. I would like this centre not to be restricted. The Jewish community has a very long history in our country and of making positive contributions to our society. It also has a history of persecutions over many years in our country. I would like this centre to have a wider base so that people can see and recognise the contributions that have been made by the Jewish community in this country over 2,000 years and learn about the occasions when it has been badly persecuted by the non-Jews.

[Baroness Harding of Winscombe (Con)]

My Lords, like my noble friend Lord Pickles, I have considerable sympathy with this amendment, which was so well set out by the noble Lord, Lord Verdirame. I am pleased to find common ground with the noble Baroness, Lady Deech, that it is really important that we are honest about the responsibility that Britain bears, not just for good but, as she has set out, where we, as a country, made big mistakes. I also agree with her that it is hugely important that this is about a continuing story. However, I am worried about this amendment, because I fear that it could be a wedge for more legal action. What worries me even more is when my noble friend Lady Fleet gives a speech about rejecting the learning centre in totality in this specific amendment—which, as I say I have some sympathy with.

I therefore have a question for the Minister, who I know has been thinking deeply about this: what risk is there in this amendment? Those of us who have worked on this for a long time know that every legal avenue has been taken up to prevent this memorial being built. I may be seeing shadows, and the danger with the Bill is that we all see shadows from different sides, so could the Minister reassure us that, for all the good intentions behind the amendment, it would not create that wedge, which would create real challenges for a future curator of this learning centre, who may find themselves subject to lawfare which, unfortunately, appears to be more and more common in this land?