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David Cameron announces new commission and additional £300,000 annual funding for the Lessons from Auschwitz programme.

The Prime Minister has announced the creation of a new cross-party, multi-faith commission to consider what more Britain should do to commemorate the Holocaust and to educate future generations about it.

Speaking at a dinner to mark the 25th anniversary of the Holocaust Educational Trust, the Prime Minister said that at a time when anti-semitism is returning in some parts of mainland Europe, it is more important than ever that we do everything we can to make sure the memory of the Holocaust is preserved from generation to generation.

The Prime Minister will host the first meeting of this new commission later this year. It will be led by the Chair of the Jewish Leadership Council, Mick Davis, with the task of investigating whether further measures should be taken to ensure that Britain has a permanent and fitting memorial and education resource for generations to come. The commission will report back to the Prime Minister ahead of the 70th anniversary of the British liberation of Bergen-Belsen in 2015.

The Prime Minister also announced an additional £300,000 of annual government funding for the trust’s Lessons from Auschwitz programme which aims to increase knowledge and understanding of the Holocaust for young people and to clearly highlight what can happen if prejudice and racism become acceptable. This will take the government’s total annual funding for the project to £1.85 million.