Sam Francis<\/span><\/p>\nPolitical reporter<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
Reuters<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n\n
More than a third of MPs have signed a letter to Sir Keir Starmer calling for the UK to recognise a Palestinian state.<\/p>\n
Some 220 MPs from nine political parties have backed the call – more than half of them Labour – arguing that UK recognition would send a “powerful” message and a vital step toward a two-state solution.<\/p>\n
The letter piles pressure on the prime minister after France committed to recognising a Palestinian statehood within months.<\/p>\n
In a statement after an emergency phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron and Germany’s Friedrich Merz, Sir Keir said the move would have to be part of a “wider plan which ultimately results in a two-state solution”. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
In his statement, Sir Keir said: “Alongside our closest allies, I am working on a pathway to peace in the region, focused on the practical solutions that will make a real difference to the lives of those that are suffering in this war.<\/p>\n
“That pathway will set out the concrete steps needed to turn the ceasefire so desperately needed, into a lasting peace.<\/p>\n
“Recognition of a Palestinian state has to be one of those steps. I am unequivocal about that. <\/p>\n
“But it must be part of a wider plan which ultimately results in a two-state solution and lasting security for Palestinians and Israelis.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
A joint statement from the leaders of UK, France and Germany, following their call does not mention Palestinian statehood. <\/p>\n
But it said all three countries “stand ready to take further action to support an immediate ceasefire and a political process that leads to lasting security and peace for Israelis, Palestinians and the entire region”.<\/p>\n
The statement is critical of the Israeli government, demanding an end to aid restrictions and warning the “humanitarian catastrophe that we are witnessing in Gaza must end now”.<\/p>\n
The statement also stresses Hamas must be disarmed and “have no role in the future of Gaza”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
The letter comes after the UK and 27 other countries condemned the “drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians” seeking food and water in Gaza.<\/p>\n
Israel, which controls the entry of all supplies into the Palestinian territory, has repeatedly said that there is no siege and blames Hamas for cases of malnutrition.<\/p>\n
Israel’s foreign ministry rejected the countries’ statement, saying it was “disconnected from reality and sends the wrong message to Hamas”.<\/p>\n
According to the UN human rights office, more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military while trying to get food aid over the past two months.<\/p>\n
Israel has said its troops have only fired warning shots and that they do not intentionally shoot civilians.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
The letter has been signed by 131 Labour MPs, including senior figures like former minister Liam Byrne and committee chair Ruth Cadbury.<\/p>\n
Lib Dem Leader Sir Ed Davey, former Tory minister Kit Malthouse and Conservative Sir Edward Leigh – Parliament’s longest serving MP – have also signed.<\/p>\n
SNP, Greens, Plaid Cymru, SDLP and independents were among those who signed the letter.<\/p>\n
The letter argued that a Parliament has held a “cross-party consensus for decades” on recognising Palestinian statehood as part of a “two-state solution”.<\/p>\n
While recognition alone would not end the suffering in Gaza, “British recognition of Palestine would be particularly powerful” given its history in the region, the MPs say.<\/p>\n
Labour MP Sarah Champion, who chairs the international development select committee and who organised the letter, said a two-state solution “remains the only viable proposal to secure a lasting peace for the region”.<\/p>\n
“Recognition would send a powerful symbolic message that we support the rights of the Palestinian people, that they are not alone and they need to maintain hope that there is a route that leads to lasting peace and security for both the Israeli and the Palestinian people,” she added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Last month, about 60 MPs reportedly signed a letter to Foreign Secretary David Lammy, and a motion in Parliament was signed by 110 MPs.<\/p>\n
In 2014, the House of Commons passed a non-binding motion calling on the government to recognise a Palestinian state alongside Israel, which was backed by an overwhelming majority of MPs. <\/p>\n
Most countries – about 139 in all – formally recognise a Palestinian state, although many European nations and the United States say they will only do so as part of moves towards a long-term resolution to the conflict.<\/p>\n
Spain, Ireland and Norway formally took the step last year, hoping to exert diplomatic pressure to secure a ceasefire in Gaza.<\/p>\n
At the United Nations (UN), Palestinian representatives have limited rights to participate in UN activity, and the territory is also recognised by various international organisations, including the Arab League.<\/p>\n
Sceptics argue recognition would largely be a symbolic gesture unless questions over the leadership and extent of a Palestinian state are addressed first.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
Published at Fri, 25 Jul 2025 18:55:03 +0000<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
220 MPs call for Starmer to recognise Palestinian state 10 minutes ago Sam Francis Political reporter Reuters More than a third of MPs have signed a letter to Sir Keir Starmer calling for the UK to recognise a Palestinian state. Some 220 MPs from nine political parties have backed the call – more than half… Continue reading 220 MPs call for Starmer to recognise Palestinian state<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3740,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3739","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uk-politics","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3739","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3739"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3739\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3740"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3739"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3739"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3739"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}