Sir Keir Starmer has rejected calls from MPs to immediately recognise a Palestinian state, as US President Donald Trump arrived in the UK amid the continued desperate situation in Gaza.
Some 221 MPs have signed a letter urging the British Government to recognise the state of Palestine at a meeting of the UN next week.
The UK would follow in the footsteps of France if it did, though Mr Trump claimed French President Emmanuel Macron’s announcement was “not going to change anything” ahead of flying to the UK on Friday.
The appalling scenes in Gaza are unrelenting.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) July 25, 2025
The UK will pull every lever we have to get food and lifesaving support to Palestinians, and we will evacuate children who need urgent medical assistance.
This humanitarian catastrophe must end. pic.twitter.com/eNg7E5ABme
Sarah Champion, a senior Labour MP who co-ordinated the cross-party letter, said recognition “would send a powerful symbolic message that we support the rights of the Palestinian people”.
While the PM said he was “unequivocal” about wanting to see a Palestinian state, he insisted this needed to be part of a “wider plan which ultimately results in a two-state solution and lasting security for Palestinians and Israelis”.
The UK and its allies must work together to broker a peace, he added, likening the effort to the coalition of the willing to support Ukraine.
Sir Keir is expected to meet Mr Trump on Monday, as the US president stays in Scotland ahead of a full state visit later this year.
On Friday evening, amid mounting global anger over the starving population in Gaza, the Prime Minister also suggested the UK will play a role in dropping aid into Gaza by air.
He welcomed that Israel said it would allow aid to be delivered by parachute to alleviate starvation in Gaza.
The Prime Minister said the step had “come far too late”, but he insisted the UK will “do everything we can to get aid in via this route”.
Britain is already working alongside Jordan to get aid onto planes, the PM signalled, also adding that children from Gaza in need of specialist medical care will be evacuated to the UK for treatment.
In a video statement released on Friday, Sir Keir made plain his desire for a ceasefire.
He said: “I know the British people are sickened by what is happening. The images of starvation and desperation are utterly horrifying.
“The denial of aid to children and babies is completely unjustifiable, just as the continued captivity of hostages is completely unjustifiable.”
Meanwhile, in a statement released alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and France’s Mr Macron, the Prime Minister urged Israel to stop restricting the flow of aid into Gaza.
A call between the three leaders was expected on Friday, but has been postponed until the weekend.
US-led peace talks in Qatar were cut short on Thursday, with Washington’s special envoy Steve Witkoff accusing Hamas of a “lack of desire to reach a ceasefire”.
The deal under discussion is expected to include a 60-day ceasefire, and aid supplies would be ramped up as negotiations on a lasting truce took place.
Trump on Friday dismissed French President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to recognise a Palestinian state, offering a notably softer response than Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other top Republicans, who had sharply criticised the move a day earlier.
“What he says doesn’t matter,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “He’s a very good guy. I like him, but that statement doesn’t carry weight.”
Macron had taken to X on Thursday to announce his intention for France to recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly in September. He cited the need for an “immediate ceasefire,” the release of all hostages, and humanitarian aid to Gaza as reasons for the decision.
In a letter addressed to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and shared publicly, Macron also said Hamas must be demilitarised and Gaza rebuilt.
“The French people want peace in the Middle East,” Macron wrote in the letter, translated into English and posted on X. “It is up to us, the French, together with the Israelis, the Palestinians, and our European and international partners, to demonstrate that it is possible.”
He added that “peace is possible” and said he is working to convince other international partners to follow suit.
Recognition of Palestine remains largely symbolic, as it does not automatically grant full United Nations membership or formal diplomatic relations. Currently, around 150 of the 193 UN member states recognise Palestine as a sovereign state.
Meanwhile, in the UK, some have speculated that Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s reluctance to move forward with recognising Palestine is tied to Trump’s visit to Britain, with officials said to be avoiding any diplomatic friction.
