UK to recognise Palestinian state in September unless Israel reaches Gaza ceasefire

Earlier in the day, Starmer told his Cabinet that there was no equivalence between Israel and Hamas.

He went on to say that any formal recognition of a Palestinian state would be subject to an assessment ahead of the UNGA and that the “immediate focus must be to get more aid urgently into Gaza”.

During the emergency cabinet meeting, convened specifically to discuss the situation in Gaza, Starmer also updated his colleagues about his plan, discussed with European leaders at the weekend to bring about a “credible and realistic peace plan for Gaza”.

Jonathan Powell, Starmer’s National Security Adviser, who helped broker the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which helped bring peace to Northern Ireland, is said to have contributed his expertise to the plan.

He was also present at Starmer’s bilateral meeting with US President Donald Trump in Scotland yesterday, where the plan was discussed.

Reacting to Starmer’s announcement on recognising a Palestinian state, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affair’s said it rejected the prime minister’s statement.

"The shift in the British government’s position at this time, following the French move and internal political pressures, constitutes a reward for Hamas and harms efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and a framework for the release of hostages”, they said in a statement on X.

Starmer has been under increasing pressure from many of his own supporters to back moves to immediately and unconditionally recognise a Palestinian state.

255 MPs – including 147 from Labour – signed a letter by International Development Committee chair Sarah Champion MP calling on the government to immediately “recognise the state of Palestine alongside the state of Israel”.

Several Labour leaders in devolved administrations – including London Mayor Sadiq Khan, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and Welsh First Minister Eluned Morgan – have also made public calls on the prime minister to do so.

Yesterday, a statement by Labour Unions – a group of the 11 trade unions affiliated to the Labour Party – called on the prime minister to “immediately recognise the state of Palestine and support the Palestinian people's right to self-determination, as a critical step in support of a two-state solution.”

The Conservative Party criticised Starmer’s announcement.

Shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel said it was “designed to appease his backbenchers. He knows that promises to recognise Palestine will not secure lasting peace.”

She added: “We all support a two state solution that guarantees security for both Israelis and Palestinians. But recognition of a Palestinian state is only meaningful if it is part of a formal peace process and cannot happen while hostages are still being held in terrorist captivity and while Hamas’ reign of terror continues.”

Meanwhile, Reform UK’s deputy leader Richard Tice accused Labour of handing Hamas “a propaganda victory”.

Starmer was also criticised by pro-Israel voices within Labour.

Labour Friends of Israel said in a statement that: “Recognition of a Palestinian state outside of a meaningful peace process will change nothing on the ground and will damage our reputation as an impartial broker, reducing our ability to bring about a sustainable long-term peace.”

While French President Emmanuel Macron last week announced plans to recognise a Palestinian state in September, other Western leaders have been more hesitant.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told a meeting of his Labour colleagues that recognition of a Palestinian state “must be more than a gesture” and would be determined by whether it would advance his country’s long-term objective of a two-state solution.

Similarly, Italy’s Georgia Meloni told Italian paper La Repubblica: "I am very much in favour of the State of Palestine, but I am not in favour of recognising it prior to establishing it”, she said, adding: "If something that doesn't exist is recognised on paper, the problem could appear to be solved when it isn't”.