Keir Starmer confirms UK formally recognises Palestine

The UK has formally recognised Palestine as a state after Israelfailed to meet conditions set by the Government, Keir Starmer has announced.

Confirming the move on social media - as part of a co-ordinated announcement with Canada and Australia, the Prime Minister said the hope of a two-state solution was "fading...but we cannot let that light go out."

In the summer, the Prime Minister announced that the UK was prepared to recognise Palestinian statehood in September unless Israel met certain conditions. These included agreeing to an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, committing to a long-term sustainable peace and reviving the prospect of a two-state solution.

But Downing Street now believe the situation has worsened significantly, and the images of violence, starvation and suffering are intolerable. Earlier this week a ground offensive was launched in Gaza city and a UN-commissioned inquiry said Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in the war-torn enclave.

Speaking today, Mr Starmer said: "Today, to revive the hope of peace for the Palestinians and Israelis, and a two state solution, the United Kingdom formally recognises the State of Palestine."

He said: "In the face of the growing horror in the Middle East, we are acting to keep alive the possibility of peace and a two state solution. That means a state and secure Israel alongside a viable Palestinian state.

"At the moment we have neither."

He went on: "Ordinary people, Israeli and Palestinian, deserve to live in peace. To try to rebuild their lives free from violence and suffering. That's what the British people desperately want to see.

"Yet almost two years after the barbaric attacks of October 7th, hostages are still held by the terrorists of Hamas. Recent images showed the hostages suffering and emaciated.

"Hamas even refuse to release all the bodies of the dead. I have met British families of the hostages. I see the torture they endure each and every day. Pain that strikes deep in people's hearts across Israel and here in the United Kingdom.

"The hostages must be released immediately and we will keep fighting to bring them home."

Mr Starmer revealed he had directed officials to pursue sanctions against more Hamas figures in the coming weeks.

"Let's be frank.," the PM said. "Hamas is a brutal terror organisation. Our call for a genuine two-state solution is the exact opposite of their hateful vision.

"So we're clear, this solution is not a reward for Hamas, because it means Hamas can have no future, no role in government, no role in security."

He took aim at Israel's "relentless and increasing" bombardment of Gaza, with military action increasing in recent weeks - and the "starvation and devastation" in the region, which Starmer said were "utterly intolerable".

"This death and destruction horrifies all of us," he said. "It must end."

He continued: "This is a practical plan to bring people together around a common vision, and a series of steps including the reform of the Palestinian authority, that takes us from a ceasefire in Gaza to a two-state solution."

"We will keep driving this forward."

Minutes before Mr Starmer's announcement, Prime Minister Mark Carney confirmed Canada would also recognise statehood for Palestine, saying: "Canada recognises the State of Palestine and offers our partnership in building the promise of a peaceful future for both the State of Palestine and the State of Israel."

Australia followed suit, with Prime Minister Anthony Albonese saying: "Australia's recognition of Palestine today, alongside Canada and the United Kingdom, is part of a co-ordinated international effort to build new momentum for a two-state solution, starting with a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the hostages taken in the atrocities of October 7, 2023.

"Today's act of recognition reflects Australia's longstanding commitment to a two-state solution, which has always been the only path to enduring peace and security for the Israeli and the Palestinian peoples."

READ MORE: UK set to recognise Palestine - what does it mean and could it end Gaza war

Mr Starmer said the time to recognise statehood has now arrived.

"So today," he said. "To revive the hope of peace and a two-state solution, I state clearly as prime minister of this great country, that the United Kingdom formally recognises the state of Palestine.

"We recognised the state of Israel more than 75 years ago as a homeland for the Jewish people. Today we join over 150 countries who recognise a Palestinian state also.

"A pledge to the Palestinian and Israeli people that there can be a better future.

"I know the strength of feeling that this conflict provokes. We have seen it on our streets, in our schools, in conversations we've had with friends and family.

"It has created division. Some have used it to stoke hatred and fear, but that solves nothing. Not only must we reject hate, we must redouble our efforts to combat hatred in all its forms.

"We must channel our efforts, united in hope towards the future we want to see. The release of the hostages, an end to the violence, an end to the suffering and a shift back to a two state solution as the best hope for peace and security for all sides."

London mayor Sadiq Khan today said recognising a Palestinian state will show people in Gaza that they have "not been forgotten about".

Asked how the symbolic move would affect people living in Gaza, Sir Sadiq said: "Well let's not underestimate the importance of symbolism. I've spoken to people who have family in Gaza, and they know what's happening around the world.

"It's really important for them to understand they're not suffering in silence. They've not been forgotten about. In my view, it's now inescapable. There's a genocide taking place in Gaza.

"It's really important those, you know, who've got a voice, make sure their voices are heard. And I think at the UN General Assembly, countries like the UK under Keir Starmer's decision, saying they recognise Palestine, is incredibly important."

But a spokeswoman for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netayahu said he viewed the recognition of a Palestinian state as "absurd".

Shosh Bedrosian told reporters: "There have been media reports suggesting the British prime minister Keir Starmer is planning on announcing the UK's recognition of a Palestinian state today, a manoeuvre that prime minister Netanyahu has called absurd and simply a reward for terrorism."

She said Hamas did not want a state alongside Israel "they want a state instead of Israel".

It comes as Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy travel to New York to back the move at the United Nations General Assembly. This morning, Mr Lammy, who is also Justice Secretary, acknowledged that a Palestinian state would not emerge "overnight" if the UK recognises one later today.

He said "we are some significant distance" from two states - Palestine and Israel - existing alongside each other. And he admitted the move won’t feed kids in Gaza, nor get the hostages released. But the Cabinet minister said recognition would help keep the prospect of a two-state solution alive. "It is to keep that process alive, a process that the United Kingdom has committed to over successive governments,” Mr Lammy told Sky News.

Husam Zomlot, the UK representative of the Palestinian Authority, told the BBC recognition “would mean a lot”. He said that recognition is a “foundational step” towards establishing a sovereign state of Palestine. “Anybody who argues against that is somebody who wants to see us moving backward rather than forward,” he said.

Palestine is recognised by 147 of the UN's 193 member states. The UK, France and Canada, who all have plans to recognise Palestine this month, would be the first G7 countries to do so.

The move has notably set the UK apart from the US, with Donald Trump having made clear he does not plan to recognise Palestine. At a joint press conference with Mr Starmer on Thursday, the US President said there was a "disagreement with the Prime Minister on that score" when asked about No10's plans.

Relatives of over a dozen hostages, taken by Hamas after its 2023 attack on Israel, have written to Mr Starmer urging him not to go ahead with recognition. They say the move “has dramatically complicated efforts to bring home our loved ones”. “We write to you with a simple plea - do not take this step until our loved ones are home and in our arms,” they said in their letter.

Labour's manifesto committed to recognising Palestine but Downing Street has been holding off to do it "at the moment of maximum impact". Mr Starmerset out a roadmap for recognitionin July after increasing pressure from MPs for the UK to recognise Palestine.

It came as more than 250 MPs from across the Commons having signed a letter calling on the government to recognise a Palestinian state immediately. Health Secretary Wes Streeting was among senior figures in Government to call for the UK to do the same, urging Palestine to be recognised "while there is still a state of Palestine left to recognise".

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