Over 100 MPs sign cross-party letter demanding Starmer recognise Palestine as a state

Sir Keir Starmer is nether expanding unit to recognise a Palestinian state, with implicit 100 MPs signing a cross-party missive demanding helium instrumentality the step.

The missive is being organised by the Labour backbencher Sarah Champion, who besides sits arsenic the International Development Committee Chair.

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They write: "British designation of Palestine would beryllium peculiarly almighty fixed its relation arsenic the writer of the Balfour Declaration and the erstwhile Mandatory Power successful Palestine".

"Since 1980 we person backed a two-state solution. Such a designation would springiness that presumption substance arsenic good arsenic surviving up to a historical work we person to the radical nether that Mandate."

Earlier this month, astir 60 Labour MPs called connected David Lammy and the Foreign Office to instantly recognise Palestine arsenic a authorities successful a backstage letter, but this caller telephone shows however dissatisfied galore inactive are with the government's refusal to alteration its stance connected the issue.

Late past nighttime Number 10 released a connection connected Gaza calling the concern "unspeakable and indefensible," but a increasing fig of Labour backbenchers fearfulness it's not enough.

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In airy of a tweet by the French President Emmanuel Macron besides sent past nighttime declaring France would recognise a Palestinian state successful September astatine a UN conference, a fig of MPs present accidental Number 10's existent presumption is untenable.

"They had said they wanted to beryllium successful lockstep with allies, but this means that presumption won't hold," said 1 Labour MP.

Peter Kyle, the exertion secretary, this greeting defended the government's absorption to calls for contiguous UK designation of a Palestinian state.

"We privation Palestinian statehood. We tendency it, and we privation to marque definite the circumstances tin beryllium wherever that benignant of semipermanent governmental solution tin person the abstraction to germinate and marque definite that it tin go a imperishable condition that tin bring bid to the full region," helium told Sky News.

"But close now, today, we've got to absorption connected what volition easiness the suffering, and it is extreme, unwarranted suffering successful Gaza that has to beryllium the precedence for america today."

An exigency telephone with Germany and France is scheduled for contiguous to sermon what Sir Keir described arsenic a "human catastrophe" which has "reached caller depths".

The Foreign Office person maintained they are committed to recognising a Palestinian authorities but person expressed a willingness to bash truthful lone erstwhile it volition person the "most interaction successful enactment of a bid process".

They say: "We proceed to supply lifesaving assistance to enactment Palestinians successful Gaza and the West Bank, and to enactment intimately successful enactment of the Palestinian Authority."

A Downing Street spokesperson besides confirmed their presumption connected Palestinian statehood remains unchanged.