Sir Keir Starmer is under increasing pressure to recognise a Palestinian state, with over 100 MPs signing a cross-party letter demanding he take the step.
The letter is being organised by the Labour backbencher Sarah Champion, who also sits as the International Development Committee Chair.
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They write: “British recognition of Palestine would be particularly powerful given its role as the author of the Balfour Declaration and the former Mandatory Power in Palestine”.
“Since 1980 we have backed a two-state solution. Such a recognition would give that position substance as well as living up to a historic responsibility we have to the people under that Mandate.”
Earlier this month, nearly 60 Labour MPs called on David Lammy and the Foreign Office to immediately recognise Palestine as a state in a private letter, but this new call shows how dissatisfied many still are with the government’s refusal to change its stance on the issue.
Late last night Number 10 released a statement on Gaza calling the situation “unspeakable and indefensible,” but a growing number of Labour backbenchers fear it’s not enough.
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In light of a tweet by the French President Emmanuel Macron also sent last night declaring France would recognise a Palestinian state in September at a UN conference, a number of MPs now say Number 10’s current position is…
