221 MPs urge Keir Starmer to recognise Palestinian State

Alpaslan Düven-London

A powerful cross-party coalition of 221 Members of Parliament from nine political parties have signed a joint letter calling on Labour leader and Prime Minister Keir Starmer to formally recognise the State of Palestine.

The letter, coordinated by the Britain-Palestine All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), urges the UK government to take immediate steps to acknowledge Palestinian statehood in line with international law and longstanding United Nations resolutions.

Signatories include MPs from Labour, the Scottish National Party (SNP), Liberal Democrats, Green Party, Plaid Cymru, Sinn Féin, SDLP, Alliance, and Alba Party — reflecting a broad spectrum of political support. Senior Labour figures, including former shadow ministers and influential backbenchers, are among the signatories, putting direct pressure on Starmer to follow through on Labour’s 2021 pledge to recognise Palestine if in government.

The move comes amid ongoing international outcry over Israel’s military operations in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, and growing demands for a two-state solution as the only viable path to lasting peace.

The letter states:

“Recognition of Palestine is not an act of hostility toward Israel. It is an affirmation of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and a necessary step toward a just and lasting peace.”

While the UK Parliament voted symbolically in 2014 to support Palestinian statehood, successive governments have held back from formal recognition, citing the need for negotiations. However, pressure has been mounting as countries such as Spain, Ireland, and Norway recently made formal recognitions, citing ongoing humanitarian concerns and stalled peace efforts.

Keir Starmer has yet to publicly respond to the letter, but the mounting pressure from his own party’s MPs is likely to test his stated commitment to a “balanced” Middle East policy.

This is a developing story.