London, July 26 (UNI) UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has rejected calls from 122 MPs to immediately recognise a Palestinian state, insisting that any such move must be part of a broader peace plan.
His remarks come as US President Donald Trump arrived in the UK amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and growing international momentum, including from France, for recognition of Palestine.
Following French President Emmanuel Macron’s announcement, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has declared that his government is working on a roadmap to achieve lasting peace in the Middle East, with the recognition of a Palestinian state as a key component.
“Alongside our closest allies, I am working on a pathway to peace in the region, focused on practical solutions,” Starmer said in a video message posted on X yesterday. “That pathway will set out concrete steps to turn the desperately needed ceasefire into a lasting peace. Recognition of a Palestinian state has to be one of those steps. I am unequivocal about that.”
His statement comes amid growing pressure from British lawmakers. 221 MPs from nine political parties yesterday signed an open letter urging Starmer to move forward with formal recognition of Palestine, as per local media reports.
“We write to you in advance of the UN Conference co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia on July 28–29 in New York, to put on record our support for UK recognition of a Palestinian state,” the letter, shared on X by MP Sarah Champion, stated. “We are expectant that the outcome of the conference will be the UK Government outlining when and how it will act on its long-standing commitment to a two-state solution.”
While the letter acknowledges that the UK alone cannot secure Palestinian independence, it emphasizes that recognition “would have a significant impact,” and urges the government to take that crucial step.
“We are expectant that the outcome of the conference will be the UK Government outlining when and how it will act on its long-standing commitment,” said the letter, shared by senior Labour MP Sarah Champion, who called recognition “a powerful symbolic message that we support the rights of the Palestinian people.”
A day earlier, President Macron announced that France would formally recognize the State of Palestine during the upcoming United Nations General Assembly session in September. The decision has drawn mixed international reactions.
Trump, speaking before his arrival in the UK yesterday, dismissed the move as meaningless, saying it’s “not going to change anything.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the decision.
US Ambassador to France Charles Kushner criticized the move as “a gift to Hamas and a blow to peace.”
As of 2025, 147 countries have officially recognized the State of Palestine. While the United States vetoed Palestine’s full membership at the UN in 2024, that year also saw new recognitions from 10 countries, including Ireland, Norway, Spain, and Armenia.
