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29th July 2025
05:03pm BST
Keir Starmer has announced that the UK will officially recognise a Palestinian state by the time of the next full UN meeting in September, unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire in Gaza before then.
The decision comes a week after French President Emmanuel Macron said France would begin the official process of recognising Palestinian statehood.
A Downing Street spokesperson said: "[The PM] said that because of the increasingly intolerable situation in Gaza and the diminishing prospect of a peace process towards a two-state solution, now was the right time to move this position forward.
"He said that the UK will recognise the state of Palestine in September, before UNGA, unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza, reaches a ceasefire, makes clear there will be no annexation in the West Bank, and commits to a long-term peace process that delivers a two-state solution."
Earlier today, the cabinet met in response to an alert issued by a UN-backed group that said famine is unfolding in Gaza.
Starmer's announcement comes after one third (254) of the Members of Parliament in the House of Commons signed a letter calling on the Labour leader to speed up the process.
The signatories span across nine different political parties.
According to The Guardian, aside from the letter, a number of Starmer’s key cabinet members — including deputy prime minister Angela Rayner and home secretary Yvette Cooper — are supportive of recognising a Palestinian state.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting is also said to have taken the opportunity during recent cabinet meetings to argue for the case of recognising a Palestinian state.
Part of the letter reads: “Whilst we appreciate the UK does not have it in its power to bring about a free and independent Palestine, UK recognition would have a significant impact due to our historic connections and our membership on the UN security council.”
“British recognition of Palestine would be particularly powerful given its role as the author of the Balfour Declaration and the former Mandatory Power in Palestine. Since 1980 we have backed a two-state solution. Such a recognition would give that position substance as well as living up to a historic responsibility we have to the people under that mandate.”
While the government had held ambitions to recognise the state in the long-term, their position had always been that it should only take place as part of lasting peace process.
This has now changed.
On Friday, a joint statement between the UK, France and Germany called on Israel to “immediately lift restrictions on the flow of aid”, before calling the current situation “unacceptable.”
While Israel announced this weekend that they would cease military operations for 10 hours each day to allow aid to enter, the UN have called these attempts a “drop in the ocean” compared with what is necessary to save the civilian population from famine.
