UK to recognise Palestinian statehood in September unless Israel agrees ceasefire and two-state solution, Starmer says – as it happened | Politics
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- July 29, 2025
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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
Early evening summary
Trump says he and Starmer did not discuss PM’s Palestinian state recognition plan
Donald Trump told reporters on Air Force One that he and Keir Starmer did not discuss Britain’s plan to recognize a Palestinian state in September unless Israel takes a number of steps to improve life for Palestinians, Reuters reports. “We never did discuss it,” Trump said.
Israel says Starmer’s move on Palestinian state recognition ‘reward for Hamas’ that will damage ceasefire efforts
The Israeli foreign ministry has criticised the UK decision. In a statement on social media it said:
Israel rejects the statement by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
The shift in the British government’s position at this time, following the French move and internal political pressures, constitutes a reward for Hamas and harms efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and a framework for the release of hostages.
ActionAid UK says it is ‘appalled to see Palestinian statehood dangled by bargaining chip’
The charity ActionAid UK has also accused Keir Starmer for using Palestinian statehood as a bargaining chip. In a statement Hannah Bond, its co-CEO, said:
The prime minister is right when he says that the British public are horrified by the images of starvation coming out of Gaza, and with today’s confirmation that a man-made and entirely preventable famine is unfolding, there is no excuse for the UK government to refrain from taking action – and no time to waste.
However, we are appalled to see Palestinian statehood dangled like a bargaining chip to get the Israeli government to cease its genocidal assault on Gaza. A Palestinian state is not a threat to frighten the Israeli government into action after 21 months of relentless war and destruction, it is an unconditional and inalienable right to self-determination.
It should be evident by now that words of criticism will not compel the Isreali government to change course. It’s time for the UK government to use every diplomatic lever available to it to bring about an urgently needed ceasefire – that includes halting all arms transfers to the Israeli government and imposing sanctions, immediately.
Starmer’s pledge on Palestinian state recognition – snap analysis
The UK, under governments led by different parties, has for many years been in principle in favour of recognising Palestinian statehood – but only when the time was right. Ministers argued that it was best to play this card when it would be most beneficial.
In practice, this meant the idea was dangled as an incentive towards the Palestinians – with the UK arguing that they would have to offer security guarantees to Israel to quality for statehood recognition. With Hamas, a terrorist organisation opposed to Israel’s existence, in power in Gaza from 2006, there was never any prospect of “the time being right” from this perspective. This suited British ministers who did not want to upset Israel or Washington, both opposed to Palestinan state recognition.
For most of his time as Labour leader and PM, Keir Starmer has adopted approach – which rested on a presumption that the UK would not recognise the state of Palestinian unless some (unlikely) conditions were met.
But today Starmer has flipped that approach. He is now using recognition not as a carrot, but as a stick – a threat directed at Israel. And he has established the presumption that it will happen – again, unless certain (unlikely) conditions are met.
The most interesting are the ones aimed at Israel. We have now had at least four versions of what these conditions are (in the cabinet readout at 4.48pm, the Starmer statement at 5.37pm, the Downing Street statement, and the David Lammy speech at 5.20pm). In each the wording is slightly different, but there at least four requirements of Israel.
Two of them could conceivably happen before September: Israel taking “substantive steps” to end the appalling situation in Gaza, and agreeing a ceasefire. But it is much harder to imagine the Benjamin Netanyahu government committing to the two-state solution, which it now longer backs, or ruling out annexation of the West Bank, which is the de fact ambition of some of his far-right supporters in the Knesset.
There are also four conditions that apply to Hamas: releasing all hostages, agreeing a ceasefire, withdrawing from the government of Gaza, and disarming. But the UK was calling for these anyway, and there seems little prospect of Hamas agreeing all of them.
This means that the most likely outcome seems to be that, by September, the UK will conclude its conditions have not been met, and it will then recognise the state of Palestine.
Having played the card, the UK will no longer by able to use it as a source of diplomatic leverage. But supporters of recognition argue that, as more countries around the world recognise Palestine, the harder it will become for Israel to ignore the need for it to engage with Palestinians, not just militarily, but politically and diplomatically.
Lib Dems welcome Starmer’s move, but say Palestinian state recognition should happen now, not be used as ‘bargaining chip’
Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, has partially welcomed Keir Starmer’s announcement. But he says Palestinian state recognition should happen now, and that it should not be used as a bargaining chip.
In a statement he says:
The prime minister’s announcement marks vital progress towards the UK recognising Palestine as a state – a crucial step towards the two-state solution which would bring dignity and security for Palestinians and Israelis. Liberal Democrats welcome this step but urge Keir Starmer to go further, listen to parliament and recognise Palestine right away.
And we need far greater action to stop the humanitarian disaster in Gaza. That must go much further than Starmer’s plan. Rather than use recognition, which should have taken place many months ago, as a bargaining chip, the prime minister should be applying pressure on Israel by fully ceasing arms sales, and implementing sanctions against the Israeli cabinet. So too must the UK government urge Hamas to unconditionally release the hostages.
Lammy says UK’s Palestinian state recognition pledge is ‘solemn undertaking’ made before global community
Asked how the government would assess whether its conditions for not recognising the state of Palestine were being met, Lammy did not go into details. He replied:
I sincerely hope that we see a dramatic improvement in the suffering, that we see a commitment to a ceasefire, and we see a commitment to a diplomatic process, such that we do not get a pause, in relation to that ceasefire, but we get an enduring peace, and it’s for us to assess those conditions as we get to next month.
But the undertaking I made in the general assembly just a few minutes ago is a solemn undertaking in front of the whole global community.
David Lammy, the foreign secretary, is speaking to reporters at the UN in New York.
Asked if Keir Starmer gave President Trump warning of this announcement, Lammy said he would not comment on private discussions. But he said the UK has “the most special of relationships with the United States”.
Full text of Starmer’s statement on Gaza and recognition of Palestinian state
Downing Street has now published a further statement about Gaza and recognition of the Palestinian state, confirming what No 10 said in its cabinet readout and what Keir Starmer said in his statement.
And here is the full text of Starmer’s TV statement earlier.
On the 7th of October 2023 Hamas perpetrated the worst massacre in Israel’s history.
Every day since then, the horror has continued.
The hostages are still being held today.
The Palestinian people have endured terrible suffering.
Now, in Gaza because of a catastrophic failure of aid, we see starving babies, children too weak to stand: Images that will stay with us for a lifetime.
The suffering must end.
Yesterday I discussed this with President Trump.
And we are mounting a major effort to get humanitarian supplies back in.
By air, and UK aid has been air dropped into Gaza today.
And – crucially – by land.
We need to see at least 500 trucks entering Gaza every day.
But ultimately – the only way to bring this humanitarian crisis to an end is through a long-term settlement.
So we are supporting the US, Egyptian and Qatari efforts to secure a vital ceasefire.
That ceasefire must be sustainable and it must lead to a wider peace plan, which we are developing with our international partners.
This plan will deliver security and proper governance in Gaza and pave the way for negotiations on a two-state Solution.
Our goal remains a safe and secure Israel, alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state. But right now – that goal is under pressure like never before.
I’ve always said we will recognise a Palestinian state as a contribution to a proper peace process, at the moment of maximum impact for the two-state solution.
With that solution now under threat, this is the moment to act.
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 there will be no annexations in the West Bank.
Meanwhile, our message to the terrorists of Hamas is unchanged and unequivocal.
They must immediately release all the hostages, sign up to a ceasefire, disarm and accept that they will play no part in the government of Gaza.
We will make an assessment in September on how far the parties have met these steps.
But no one should have a veto on our decision.
So this is the way forward. We will keep working with all our international partners to end the suffering, get aid flooding into Gaza and deliver a more stable future for the Middle East.
Because I know that is what the British people desperately want to see.
Lammy tells UN that UK intends to recognise state of Palestine ‘to protect viability of two-state solution’
David Lammy, the foreign secretary, is speaking now at the UN conference on a two-state solution for the Middle East.
He says “the two-state solution is in peril”.
He says Arthur Balfour, a previous British foreign secretary, signed the declaration that paved the way for the foundation of Israel. The UK is proud of that.
But the declaration also said nothing would be done that would prejudice the rights of Palestinians, he says.
That has not been upheld, he says.
He says the UN has passed many resolutions calling for a two-state solution.
He recites the numbers of those resolutions, and says they cannot just be numbers on a page.
Hamas cannot be rewarded for the 7 October attack, he says.
But Hamas are not the Palestinian people and there is no contradiction between support for Israel’s security and support for Palestinian statehood.
Indeed, the opposite is true.
Lammy goes on:
The Netanyahu government’s rejection of a two-state solution is wrong. It’s wrong morally and it’s wrong strategically. It harms the interests of the Israeli people, closing off the only path to a just and lasting peace, and that is why we are determined to protect the viability of a two-state solution.
And so it is with the hand of history on our shoulders that His Majesty’s government therefore intends to recognise the state of Palestine when the UN general assembly gathers in September here.
Lammy says it is the government’s intention to recognise the state of Palestine when the UN general assembly meets in September.
He gets a round of applause – before he has mentioned the conditions.
Once the applause has died down, Lammy cites the conditions mentioned by Starmer.
We will do this unless the Israeli government acts to end the appalling situation in Gaza, ends its military campaign and commits to a long sustainable peace based on a two-state solution.
Our demands on Hamas also remain absolute and unwavering.
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.
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