Labour Party Divided Over Prime Minister's Palestinian State Recognition Plan
6 min read
The Labour Party has faced significant internal conflict following the Prime Minister’s pledge to recognise a Palestinian state by September, causing a deep rift in the party.
Keir Starmer met President Trump on Monday and held a press conference at his golf course in Scotland.
The two leaders spoke about the economy and Ukraine – but the bulk of the conversation focused on Gaza and the humanitarian crisis which is unfolding in the strip.
Asked by reporters at Trump’s resort whether he agreed with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that it was a “bold faced lie” to say hunger was gripping the Gaza strip, the US President replied: "I don't know... those children look very hungry... that's real starvation stuff."
Jonathan Powell, the Government’s national security adviser, was in the audience at the time. President Trump's remarks about starvation gave the Prime Minister much needed breathing space to go out and commit to recognising a Palestinian state in the Autumn.
“Starmer’s conversations with Trump, where he expressed sympathy and outrage at how children are being treated [changed things],” one Labour MP told PoliticsHome.
At the same time there has been complete exasperation from within the Foreign Office and from Powell’s office towards the Israeli government. One Labour MP, who spoke to Powell this week, believes the relationship between the British and Israeli administrations has broken down completely.
On Tuesday the cabinet met and agreed that the government would agree to recognise a Palestinian state as the UN General Assembly gathers in September in New York.
The pledge is set to happen unless Israel takes steps to end the war in Gaza, commits to a long-tern peace and revives the prospect of a two-state solution.
Prior to the announcement Hamish Falconer, the Middle East minister, held a digital meeting with backbench MPs over a Zoom call to inform them of the government's plans.
The pressure on the government to recognise a state did not come overnight.
Labour MPs elected in 2024 have been credited for turning up the heat on the government to get to its current position. They include Melanie Ward, the former CEO for Medical Aid for Palestinians; Alex Ballinger, who worked on humanitarian aid projects; and Abtisam Mohamed, who sits on the Foreign Affairs Committee.
Many other Labour MPs helped Sarah Champion, the chair of the international development committee, speed up efforts to receive as many signatures across the House to demand the government recognise a state of Palestine. The letter received more than 250 MPs' signatures, including 155 Labour MPs.
Andrew Pakes, co-chair of Labour Friends of Palestine and Middle East, told PoliticsHome: "The government is clear on the principle of recognising a state of Palestine to kickstart a peace process. Immediate recognition, however, does not bring a state into being. Land swaps and other negotiations will be needed for example.
"We would not have reached this point if the Israeli Government had taken a different path to handling the conflict. Today’s global response is in part due to utter frustration with the Israeli government.”
A separate but small group of MPs have urged Downing Street to work with its international partners to pressure Israel to flood the Gaza strip with aid. But they were blindsided and frustrated that the government decided to recognise a state instead.
“The pro-Palestinian lobby have been at everyone constantly, all of the time, and that's been quite unpleasant,” one Labour MP in the mainstream of the party said.
They added: “It was almost like someone flicked a switch and said – right, we’ve got to get recognition for a Palestinian state. No we don’t, this is a complete aside."
Within the pro-Israel faction of the party, the Prime Minister’s announcement has caused a small fracture.
They have a small but influential number of allies in the cabinet. Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, and Pat McFadden, one of Starmer's closest allies, were both vice chairs of Labour Friends of Israel.
But some pro-Israel MPs were left shaken after a post on X (formerly Twitter) from the Lawyers for British Hostages was shared over WhatsApp, which claimed Starmer's position could "reward Hamas for its heinous and illegal acts" on October 7.
Many are scathing of Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right coalition partners, Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, who have called for the razing of areas of Gaza.
When some Labour MPs are asked why they are against a Palestinian state, they say that they believe it would “reward terrorists”. A number of Labour MPs met UK national security adviser Jonathan Powell in a testy conversation over the government’s decision to recognise a Palestinian state.
MPs associated with Labour Friends of Israel (LFI) logged on to a online meeting on Thursday evening to discuss the consequences of recognising a Palestinian state.
More than a dozen MPs and peers joined the call, including LFI chair Jon Pearce, justice minister Sarah Sackman, government whip Christian Wakeford, PPS Josh Simons, and MPs David Pinto-Duschinsky and Luke Akehurst.
Akehurst, Labour MP for North Durham, who worked for pro-Israel advocacy organisation We Believe In Israel before joining Parliament, opened the call, critiquing the government’s decision.
He believed it was another example of the party capitulating to the Left of politics and was fundamentally the incorrect decision to make.
But MPs, even in the mainstream, know they are not going to convince the government to budge its position.
“Macron has removed from us the ability to not do this now, but we've gone as far as we can,” said one Labour MP elected in 2024.
This has not removed the upset of many of the hostages' families about the decisions. Steve Brisely, whose sister Lianne Sharabi, nieces Noiya, 16, Yahel, 13, and their family dog were murdered on 7 October 2023, told PoliticsHome he was extremely disappointed the hostages were not put at the “front and centre” of the Prime Minister’s speech. His brother-in-law Eli Sharabi was released in February.
“I’ve met Keir Starmer on a couple of occasions. We’ve looked each other in the eyes, and he’s given assurances about the hostages being brought home, being his priority.”
Despite the external pressures from MPs and the hostage families, the government has said it is firmly on a path to recognition, either in September or as part of a renewed peace process.
A Government spokesperson said: "We have announced our intention to recognise Palestine in September to protect the viability of the two-state solution. The first step in that process must be a ceasefire and there is no question about that.
“Our demands on Hamas have not changed. For there to be any chance of peace, the hostages must be released. Hamas must lay down its weapons, and commit to having no future role in the governance of Gaza.
“We must also see significant progress on the ground including the supply of humanitarian support and for Israel to rule out annexations in the West Bank, and a commitment to a long-term sustainable peace. We will make an assessment ahead of UNGA on how far both Israel and Hamas have met the steps we set out. No one side will have a veto on recognition through their actions or inactions."
