Palestinians gather to collect humanitarian aid from a distribution point in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, on Sunday, July 20, 2025. (Ahmad Salem/Bloomberg)
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the U.K. would formally recognize a Palestinian state by the United Nations General Assembly in September if Israel does not stop its war in Gaza.
British recognition for Palestine will come if Israel doesn’t “take substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza,” including agreeing to a ceasefire, committing to a pathway to peace that revives the prospect of a two-state solution and making clear there will be no annexations in the West Bank, Starmer said on Tuesday in a televised statement following an emergency meeting of his cabinet. He also made clear that on the Palestinian side, Hamas must release all Israeli hostages, disarm, and play no further part in the governance of Gaza.
“Now is the moment to act,” Starmer said. “We see starving babies, children too weak to stand, images that will stay with us for a lifetime. The suffering must end.”
The British premier — who spoke about the situation in Gaza this week with Donald Trump during the U.S. president’s visit to Scotland — is seeking to show he’s seized of the issue after domestic pressure ratcheted up for him to recognize Palestine.
It’s unclear what effect Britain’s move will have on the conflict. London has had minimal influence so far and Starmer’s involvement has largely been limited to calling for a ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages, while working on humanitarian efforts in Gaza.
U.K. relations with Israel are also at a low ebb after Britain suspended some arms export licenses to Israel and sanctioned two Israeli ministers for inciting violence against Palestinians.
“Our goal remains a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state,” Starmer said. “But right now that goal is under pressure like never before.”
Cabinet ministers, opposition parties and backbench Members of Parliament had all called on him to follow the lead of French President Emmanuel Macron, who said last week that he would formally endorse Palestinian statehood at the UN gathering, prompting a backlash from the U.S. and Israel.
Starmer’s Labour administration had maintained that it’s a matter of “when not if” Britain recognizes Palestine, but the premier has always said it must come at the appropriate point during a structured process leading to lasting peace and a two-state solution
That position saw Starmer face a chorus of criticism from Labour politicians who have argued he should be doing more to pressure Israel into ending its operations in Gaza. The war, triggered when Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and abducting 250, has seen nearly 60,000 Palestinians killed in the subsequent Israeli offensive, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, as well as leaving much of the Palestinian territory in ruins.
As aid groups reported widespread starvation, more than 250 MPs, including over 100 from Labour, signed a letter calling on the U.K. government to immediately recognize Palestine as a state.
Those frustrated with Starmer’s slowness in recognizing Palestinian statehood include some cabinet ministers, Bloomberg reported last week. Health Secretary Wes Streeting, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood, Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy had recently urged Starmer and his Foreign Secretary David Lammy to move more quickly on the issue, people familiar with the matter said.
“Ultimately the only way to bring this humanitarian crisis to an end is through a long-term settlement, so we are supporting the U.S. Egyptian and Qatari efforts to secure a vital ceasefire,” Starmer said. “That ceasefire must be sustainable and it must lead to a wider peace plan which we are developing with our international partners.”
The conflict remains politically sensitive for the center-left party, which was embroiled in a years-long antisemitism scandal under the leadership of Starmer’s predecessor Jeremy Corbyn.
Starmer’s Labour is also under pressure in domestic opinion polls, currently trailing the populist right-wing Reform U.K. party led by Trump’s friend Nigel Farage. Last week, Corbyn announced he would be setting up a new left-wing party to challenge Labour from the left on issues such as Gaza, giving the premier another political factor to consider.
Nonetheless, a firmer stance by Starmer on Palestinian statehood risks clouding his broadly positive relations with Trump. Macron’s decision to recognize Palestine was denounced by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio as “reckless” and drew scorn from the president.
“Today the United Kingdom is joining the momentum initiated by France for the recognition of the State of Palestine,” said French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, responding to the British announcement on social media. “Together, through this pivotal decision and our combined efforts, we are putting an end to the endless cycle of violence and reopening the prospect of peace in the region.” With assistance from Samy Adghirni.
