Minister dismisses idea of split in Cabinet over Palestinian statehood

A Cabinet minister has dismissed the idea that there is a split at the top of Government over when to recognise a Palestinian state.

Sir Keir Starmer has been facing calls to immediately make the change amid the continued desperate situation in Gaza.

Israel announced at the weekend that it would suspend fighting in three areas of Gaza for 10 hours a day and open secure routes for aid delivery

Hastened action

Health Secretary Wes Streeting is among those to have signalled a desire for hastened action calling for recognition “while there’s still a state of Palestine left to recognise”.

While Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the Government wants to recognise a Palestinian state “in contribution to a peace process”.

Speaking to Good Morning Britain, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: “There’s no split. The whole of the Labour Party, every Labour MP, was elected on a manifesto of recognition of a Palestinian state, and we all want it to happen.

“It is a case of when, not if.”

He added: “It’s about how we use this moment, because you can only do it once to have a meaningful breakthrough.”

He had earlier told Sky News that recognition would happen “in this Parliament [..,.] if it delivers the breakthrough that we need”.

Aid drop

Later this week, the Prime Minister is expected to chair a Cabinet meeting on the conflict.

The UK is working with Jordan to airdrop aid into Gaza and evacuate children needing medical assistance, with military planners deployed for further support.

However, the head of the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency has warned such efforts are “a distraction” that will fail to properly address deepening starvation in the strip, and could in some cases harm civilians.

Images and warnings of starvation emerging from Gaza in recent days have piled pressure on the Israeli government over its conduct in the conflict.

The Prime Minister held crisis talks with French and German counterparts on Saturday, during which Number 10 said they agreed “it would be vital to ensure robust plans are in place to turn an urgently-needed ceasefire into lasting peace”.

A Downing Street readout of the call made no mention of Palestinian statehood, which Sir Keir has faced calls to immediately recognise after French president Emmanuel Macron announced his country would do so in September.

More than 250 MPs across Labour, the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, SNP, Greens, Plaid Cymru, SDLP and independents have signed a letter pressuring the Government to follow suit at a UN meeting next week.

The letter, organised by Labour MP Sarah Champion, says that UK recognition of Palestinian statehood “would have a significant impact due to our historic connections and our membership on the UN security council”.