Kemi Badenoch, leader of the Conservative Party, has condemned Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s decision to recognise Palestinian statehood, calling it “absolutely disastrous.”
In a post on X, Ms Badenoch said the move was intended to distract from the government’s failures on domestic issues, including what she described as an unresolved immigration crisis. She added that the UK would “rue the day this decision was made,” accusing the government of “rewarding terrorism with no conditions whatsoever put in place for Hamas.”
“Recognition does not change the plight of hostages languishing in Gaza and does nothing to stop the suffering of innocent people caught in this war,” she wrote.
Premium Times earlier reported that Mr Starmer formally announced the UK’s recognition of Palestine as an independent state, saying the decision was intended to keep alive prospects for a two-state solution and to reaffirm the UK’s commitment to securing the release of Israeli hostages. “In the face of the growing horror in the Middle East, we are acting to keep alive the possibility of peace and of a two-state solution,” he said.
Ms Badenoch also accused the Labour government of pursuing symbolic policies to appease the party’s left flank rather than addressing major public services and economic issues, citing the NHS, youth employment and immigration.
With the UK’s decision, it joins a growing number of countries that recognise Palestine; at least 142 of the UN’s 193 member states have recognised or pledged to recognise Palestinian statehood. Canada and Australia are among those that recognised Palestinian statehood ahead of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, where Palestinian sovereignty is expected to be a central focus.
