Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard MP signs Holocaust “Book of Commitment” to mark 80 years since liberation of Auschwitz

Ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day (27 January), Ms Mayer reaffirmed her commitment to combat antisemitism and hatred in all its forms.

2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the infamous Nazi death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland.

The atrocities committed there remain one of the most enduring and harrowing symbols of the Holocaust, and the Second World War. 1945 also saw the liberation of concentration camps including Buchenwald, Dachau, and Bergen-Belsen.

Speaking after signing the Book of Commitment, Ms Mayer shared her personal connection to the Holocaust, saying: “My great-grandfather was imprisoned in Dachau concentration camp in the 1930s, while my grandparents fled Nazi persecution in Holland and Germany and found refuge in Britain.

“80 years on, it is so important that we continue to reflect on the very darkest times in European history. We recommit to make certain that ‘never again’ truly means that.”

Karen Pollock CBE, Chief Executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said:

“This year, on Holocaust Memorial Day, we come together to mark 80 years since the liberation of the extermination and concentration camps of Europe. We remember the six million Jewish men, women, and children who were murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators and we honour those who survived and rebuilt their lives after enduring unimaginable horrors.

“The images and accounts that emerged at liberation revealed the full scale of the Nazis' attempt to annihilate the Jewish people and this gave rise to the enduring call 'Never Again.' This phrase embodies the hope that the Holocaust would serve as a stark warning to future generations of the consequences of unchecked hatred and antisemitism.

“As we mark this significant anniversary, the lessons of the Holocaust remain as urgent as ever. With survivors becoming fewer and frailer, and with antisemitism continuing to surge across the world – we must all commit to remembering the six million Jewish victims and must take action to ensure anti-Jewish racism is never again allowed to thrive.”

A bill is currently passing through Parliament to enable a permanent Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre in Victoria Tower Gardens to be built next to Parliament.