UK to recognise Palestinian statehood in September unless Israel agrees ceasefire and two-state solution, Starmer says – UK politics live | Politics
Published: 2025-07-29 17:19:23 | Views: 15
Starmer says UK will recognise Palestinian statehood in September unless Israel agrees ceasefire and two-state solution
Downing Street has just issued its readout of today’s cabinet meeting on Gaza.
Here is the key extract.
Turning to recognition, the prime minister said it had been this government’s longstanding position that recognition of a Palestinian state was an inalienable right of the Palestinian people and that we would recognise a Palestinian state as part of a process to peace and a two state solution.
He 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. He reiterated that there is no equivalence between Israel and Hamas and that our demands on Hamas remain, that they must release all the hostages, sign up to a ceasefire, accept that they will play no role in the government of Gaza, and disarm.
Key events
Starmer says Palestinian state recognition decision designed to 'change situation on the ground' now
Q: Your decision on recognition of Palestine is conditional. Why is that?
Starmer says “the primary aim here is to change the situation on the ground for people who desperately need change”.
And he wants to get aid in “at volume and at speed”.
He says this decision is intended to help that process.
And he is concerned that the two-state solution is slipping further and further away. He says he wants to stop that.
I am particularly concerned that the very idea of a two state solution is reducing and feels further away today than it has for many, many years.
Starmer is now taking questions.
He says he has been working on an eight-party peace plan with other countries for some time.
Starmer says final Palestinian state recognition decision to be confirmed in September, with no party getting veto
Keir Starmer has recorded a TV statement about today’s cabinet meeting, which is being broadcast by the BBC and Sky News now.
Here is the key quote, where he says the point about Palestinian state recognition in his own words.
So today, as part of this process towards peace, I can confirm the UK will recognise the state of Palestine by the United Nations General Assembly in September, unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza, agree to a ceasefire and commit to a long-term sustainable peace, reviving the prospect of a two state solution, and this includes allowing the UN to restart the supply of aid and making clear that there will be no annexations in the West Bank.
Meanwhile, our message to the terrorists of Hamas is unchanged but unequivocal. They must immediately release all of the hostages, sign up to a ceasefire, disarm and accept that they will play no part in the government of Gaza.
We’ll make an assessment in September on how far the parties have met these steps, but no one should have a veto over our decision. So this is the way forward.
Full text of No 10 readout from today's cabinet meeting on Gaza
And here is the full text of the Downing Street readout from today’s cabinet on Gaza,
The prime minister opened by saying that he had called the meeting to address the situation in Gaza which was getting more desperate by the day. He said the recent images of starvation had deeply affected the British public and underscored the increasingly intolerable situation. He said the government had always been clear that the terrorist attacks of October 7th were an outrage and that Hamas is a terrorist organisation who continue to hold hostages in terrible conditions.
He set out the ways in which the government is providing aid into Gaza, with the first airdrops of British aid landing today containing around half a million pounds worth of lifesaving supplies and the acceleration of medical evacuations of sick and injured children from Gaza. He updated cabinet on his call with the King of Jordan and the ongoing military assistance we were providing to help get aid in, but he said that airdrops were no replacement for the trucks of aid that must get to those who so badly need it. He updated on his conversation with President Trump yesterday where he underlined this position and agreed to work together to address the appalling situation on the ground.
The prime minister was clear that an immediate ceasefire in Gaza remains the overwhelming priority and if the ceasefire is to last, we need a credible and realistic peace plan for Gaza. He said that he had discussed this with E3 leaders [the French president and German chancellor – with the UK the other member of the E3] over the weekend and will continue to work with international partners to develop a credible pathway to peace in Gaza. He said we were working with allies on a plan to follow after ceasefire, including the necessary governance and security arrangements needed, and reiterated there would be no role for Hamas in future governance.
Turning to recognition, the prime minister said it had been this government’s longstanding position that recognition of a Palestinian state was an inalienable right of the Palestinian people and that we would recognise a Palestinian state as part of a process to peace and a two state solution.
He 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 [United Nations general assembly], 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. He reiterated that there is no equivalence between Israel and Hamas and that our demands on Hamas remain, that they must release all the hostages, sign up to a ceasefire, accept that they will play no role in the government of Gaza, and disarm.
He committed to make an assessment ahead of UNGA on how far the parties have met these steps before making a final decision, ensuring that no one side will have a veto. He reiterated that he had taken this action to protect the viability of the two state solution, and that the immediate focus must be to get more aid urgently into Gaza, and that work would continue to bring allies on board with the plan that delivers a long-term settlement to the conflict.
The foreign secretary said that he was at the two state solution conference in New York and would be speaking to allies about our peace plan and would make a statement to the General Assembly. He reiterated that our support for the security of Israel remained unchanged, but that the situation in Gaza required urgent action. He updated on work with Jordan and UAE to get urgent aid into Gaza in the past 24 hours but that we now need to see this move in at scale.
The cabinet also marked a minute silence for the horrific attacks in Southport one year ago today.
Starmer says UK will recognise Palestinian statehood in September unless Israel agrees ceasefire and two-state solution
Downing Street has just issued its readout of today’s cabinet meeting on Gaza.
Here is the key extract.
Turning to recognition, the prime minister said it had been this government’s longstanding position that recognition of a Palestinian state was an inalienable right of the Palestinian people and that we would recognise a Palestinian state as part of a process to peace and a two state solution.
He 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. He reiterated that there is no equivalence between Israel and Hamas and that our demands on Hamas remain, that they must release all the hostages, sign up to a ceasefire, accept that they will play no role in the government of Gaza, and disarm.
We are expecting to hear from Downing Street very soon what has been agreed at the cabinet discussion on Gaza.
In his Financial Times Inside Politics briefing today, Stephen Bush argues that the government is moving towards Palestinian state recognition. He says:
One group [in the Labour party], well represented at the cabinet table and among MPs, is unconvinced that Britain has any real play or purchase when it comes to “what Israel does”. What matters, for both moral and electoral reasons, is that the government finds its voice and is seen to be firmly against the mass starvation happening in Gaza. And against the wider war in the Middle East, for which there seems to be no exit strategy or a plan for a lasting ceasefire. (Terrific, but harrowing piece by Mehul Srivastava and Heba Saleh on the famine.)
For another group, represented largely in the parliamentary party with only a handful of supporters around the cabinet table, the UK does have influence but it needs to exercise it.
The political direction of travel, given the balance of forces in the wider party and government, is, to my eyes, inevitably towards the UK doing what France has already announced in recognising the state of Palestine (which it will do at the UN general assembly in September).
Swinney says Trump has agreed to look at further arguments for exempting Scotch whisky from US tariffs
The Scottish government has published its readout of John Swinney’s meeting with Donald Trump today. The first minister said:
During our discussions, I was able to represent the interests and values of Scotland directly with the president, specifically, urging him to make the case for tariff exemptions for our world class whisky and salmon sector. I believe there is now a window of opportunity to make the case for whisky and at the invitation of the president, I intend to make further representation to him on this matter.
I implored President Trump to use his immense influence on the Israeli government to end the unbearable, unjust, and inhumane situation unfolding in Gaza, and to bring an end to the humanitarian crisis we are witnessing.
As a proud country that stands firm on the principles of equality and freedom for all, I urged President Trump to help make those ideals – American ideals – a reality for the people of Ukraine. Scotland has consistently stood with the people of Ukraine in defence of freedom, peace and a just society, and we want to see a world where those principles apply to all.
The Scottish government also said Swinney put to Trump a plan to provide Edinburgh Airport with US Customs pre-clearance facilities which Swinney said would help “demonstrate the strength of America’s enduring relationship with its friend and partner, Scotland”.
'An inalienable right should not be conditional' - Thornberry revives call for UK to recognise Palestinian statehood now
Emily Thornberry, the Labour chair of the Commons foreign affairs committee, has posted this on social media.
In their emergency Cabinet meeting on Gaza today, I very much hope the government will heed my committee’s recommendations published last Friday.
Engage Trump to get Israel to agree a ceasefire & aid. Recognise Palestine. Kickstart the political process.
Here is the committee’s report.
And here are three of the recommendations that Thornberry has highlighted.
On the need for a ceasefire and a “massively increased” supply of aid into Gaza
The UK Government must redouble its efforts to bring about a ceasefire in Gaza—with the release of all hostages—and an end to military activity in the West Bank. It should use its influence with the US administration to encourage the US to put effective pressure on Israel and Hamas. At the same time, the Government must insist that Israel opens all crossing points without restriction to food, medical, shelter materials and other aid inflows to Gaza, and immediately dismantles the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, its aid sites and its activities in Gaza, and reinstate a massively increased supply of aid through humanitarian channels established and led by a UN system. The Government should support a medical evacuation of critically injured children to the UK, including the provision of safe transport and the efficient handling of travel permits and entry visas.
On recognising Palestinian statehood
The Committee agrees with the position taken by successive UK Governments, that the two-state solution is the only possible positive outcome in this conflict. The UK, along with France—the co-signatory of the 1916 Sykes-Picot Agreement—should now recognise the state of Palestine while there is still a state to recognise. An inalienable right should not be made conditional. The Government cannot continue to wait for the perfect time because experience shows that there will never be a perfect time, and in hindsight it is possible to see times when it should have occurred.
On working for a two-state solution
The UK needs to kickstart urgently the process of preparing the ground for negotiation of a long-term two-state resolution to the conflict, without waiting for a ceasefire. In doing this, it must act more boldly and bravely to leverage the UK’s long history of involvement with and understanding of the region—along with its specialist expertise in science, technology and diplomacy—to bring Israel, the Palestinians and the other countries together. The UK should take the initiative in organising meetings, and also insist on having a seat at the table in processes, like the France-Saudi Arabia conference on the two-state solution, that have been initiated by others.
Here are some more pictures from the pro-Palestine demonstration outside Downing Street today.
French foreign minister urges Starmer to stop prevaricating over recognising Palestinian statehood
The French foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, has implictly urged the UK to stop prevaricating over recognising Palestinian statehood, Patrick Wintour, the Guardian’s diplomatic editor, reports. In a post on social media he says:
In a closely argued speech to UN on Monday the French foreign minister Jean Noel Barrot subtly aimed some of his fire at those countries still setting preconditions for Palestine’s recognition, or which still insist on “roadmaps to recognition”.
He said France was making “an appeal to those countries that have not yet recognized the State of Palestine. It is today that your decision will have the maximum impact on the course of events. Waiting for Hamas to disarm before recognizing a State of Palestine means placing yourself in the hands of Hamas. Yitzhak Rabin {former Israel PM} understood this very well, he fought terrorism as if there were no peace process, and he pursued the peace process as though there were no terrorism. It is by recognizing Palestine today, you will create the conditions for the elimination of Hamas”.
He also pointed out the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in his letter to the French President Emmanuel Macron had met all the preconditions for recognition set out by Benjamin Netanyahu in his 2009 speech at Bar-Ilan University.
Barrot said in the letter Abbas “for the first time condemns the terrorist attacks of October 7, calls for the immediate release of hostages detained by Hamas, demands its disarmament and exclusion from the governance of Gaza; he confirms the end of the allowances received by the families of prisoners convicted of terrorism, announces a reform of school textbooks to remove all hate speech, commits to holding presidential and legislative elections in 2026, and accepts that the Palestinian state will be demilitarized – there we have all the conditions stipulated by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in for the preconditions for a Palestinian state”.
France was repeatedly praised by delegates at the UN conference for taking the initiative on recognition. Quite why Starmer has handled this with the caution he has - other than Trump - will doubtless be explained by No 10 later. But as it stands, it looks as if he is buffeted by conflicting pressures, as opposed to following any logic.
Pro-Palestine protesters outside Downing Street today. Photograph: David Cliff/EPA
James Ball, a journalist specialising in technology and politics, writes for the New World, which used to be called the New European and which was set up to fight Brexit. There is no paper in Britain more critical of Nigel Farage. But, on the Online Safety Act, Ball broadly agrees with Farage. He has explained why he thinks the legislation is flawed in a long post on his Techtris Substack blog. Here is an extract.
Using a paid VPN is good for your online security – it can help restrict tracking and protect you from sites trying to steal your card details. But teenagers downloading and using VPNs will inevitably be looking for free services, and these are a very different story.
At best, they’re monetising by selling browsing data, showing questionable ads, or some similar practice. But malicious software often poses as VPNs and is then used to harvest and steal credentials used while the VPN is running – which might include the bank or card details of parents using the same laptops, phones or networks.
Not every teen is going to be tech savvy or connected enough to set up a VPN, but others will try different ways to avoid age verification tech. That means a lot of them will look for small or niche adult sites, who haven’t bothered trying to comply with the law – unlike the relatively ‘respectable’ mainstream adult companies. This does mean that one unintended consequence of age verification could be sending teens towards more extreme adult content than they would otherwise deliberately seek out.
Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, and Peter Kyle, the science secretary, have been continuing to argue online about the Online Safety Act.
After Kyle posted a message saying Farage’s position meant he was on the side of predators (see 9.06am), Farage posted this:
If this act is to protect children, why are you setting up an elite police unit to monitor comments on asylum hotels?
Farage was referring to reports that the police are setting up a National Internet Intelligence Investigations team to “provide a national capability to monitor social media intelligence and advise on its use to inform local operational decision-making”. This is not directly related to the Online Safety Act.
In response, Kyle posted this:
This is what the Act you would scrap makes platforms do:
• Detect and remove horrific child sexual abuse material, using hash-matching.
• Prevent grooming and stop strange adults messaging kids.
• Keep children’s profiles and locations hidden.
• Stop kids seeing porn.
Farage says Kyle shouldn't be making Jimmy Savile-type accusations given Starmer's record at CPS
Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, has defended his opposition to the Online Safety Act. Speaking to Sky News, he said:
This is legislation that we’re told is designed to protect children, but it doesn’t because they’re tech savvy and they go on to VPNs, and some of these [VPN] sites have had increases of thousands of percent in the last three days alone …
This legislation is driving people towards going towards VPNs and accessing not online pornography, but actually material that’s on the dark web. This may well do more harm than good.
Farage also repeated his claim that it was a disgrace for Peter Kyle to say being opposed to the act meant Farage was on the side of people like Jimmy Savile. (See 8.30am.) He went on:
People in glass houses – perhaps you should remember that his own leader, Keir Starmer, had to apologise for not prosecuting Jimmy Savile.
That was a reference to Keir Starmer issuing an apology on behalf of the Crown Prosecution Service, when he was director of public prosecutions, for the fact that accusations against Savile never led to his being charged. Starmer was apologising as head of the institution, not because he had been involved personally in any of its decisions relating to Savile.
Nigel Farage Photograph: Sky News
The Liberal Democrats have called for the government to publish its legal advice on the legality of Israel’s block on food aid going into Gaza. With the cabinet meeting now to discuss Gaza, Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, said:
There can be no denying that Israel has egregiously breached international law through its devastating blockade of Gaza.
The Australian prime minister said this two days ago. And yet the UK government continues to drag its feet on describing these acts as anything more than merely “risking” a breach.
Actions speak louder than words. It’s time for the attorney general to publish the legal advice he has given to the government on the Netanyahu cabinet’s grotesque restriction of aid to Gazans.
The government almost never publishes its legal advice on matters like this, or almost anything else.
