Sir Keir Starmer is reportedly planning to recognise a Palestinian state over the weekend after Donald Trump completes his state visit to the UK.
The prime minister had previously said he would recognise Palestinian statehood ahead of the United Nations General Assembly in New York this month, if Israel does not meet a series of conditions to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Sir Keir has repeatedly found himself at odds with the US president over the move, who is opposed to official recognition of Palestine.
Sources told The Times that Sir Keir has decided to hold off on formally announcing the decision until after Mr Trump leaves for fear it could dominate a Thursday news conference the two men plan to hold.
But Labour MP Rosena Allin-Khan called on Sir Keir to make discussing the situation in Gaza with Mr Trump a "top priority".
Speaking to Sky News, the MP for Tooting said: "We say 'never again' when we look at Bosnia and Rwanda, but here we are again, and it's been live streamed, and we've all seen it.
"We cannot be bystanders to a genocide."
While Mr Trump earlier this year said he did not mind the PM “taking a position” on the issue, he later said such a move would serve to reward Hamas.
Meanwhile, US state department spokesperson Tammy Bruce suggested a UN conference called to discuss recognising a Palestinian state as part of a two-state solution was a “publicity stunt” and called it a “slap in the face” to the victims of the 7 October attacks.
She also suggested that the UK announcement could risk “rewarding Hamas”.
High-level meetings at the UN summit involving world leaders begin next week. Other nations, including France, Australia and Canada, have said they plan to take the same step at the UN gathering.
Elsewhere, Sir Sadiq Khan has for the first time described the situation in Gaza as a “genocide”, in the latest domestic political intervention in the crisis in the Middle East by a senior Labour figure.
The mayor of London told an audience at a people’s question time event: “I think what’s happening in Gaza is a genocide.
“When I see the images of the children starving, 20,000 children have starved because of the policies of the Israeli government, when I see the health system in Gaza collapsed, when I see the lack of supplies reaching people in need, when I see the famine that is man made, when I read the interim judgment of the ICJ, and then see a UN commission report this week, I think it’s inescapable to draw the conclusion in Gaza we are seeing before our very eyes a genocide.”
On Tuesday, a UN commission said it had reasonable grounds to conclude Israel is committing a genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza.
Sir Sadiq’s comments could prove a thorn in the side for the prime minister ahead of his meeting with Mr Trump on Thursday and the planned press conference. The US president is no fan of London’s mayor, and the pair have engaged in a long-running spat.
The prime minister announced he would recognise Palestine’s statehood in July, after mounting pressure from Labour MPs over the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza.
But Sir Keir suggested British recognition was conditional, and he would refrain if Israel committed to a ceasefire, a two-state solution to peace, and halted annexation of the West Bank.
All three conditions are, however, unlikely to be met, given that the Israeli government opposes these terms.
Israel is currently undertaking a major ground offensive in Gaza, with thousands forced to flee from Gaza City in recent days.
Sir Keir said the government’s “primary aim” was getting aid into Gaza and getting hostages released when asked why UK recognition of the state of Palestine was conditional.
He added he was “particularly concerned that the very idea of a two-state solution is reducing and feels further away today than it has for many, many years”.
While Sir Keir signalled the UK could back away from recognising a Palestinian state if his conditions are met, No 10 is understood to believe that such a two-state solution would also proceed from negotiations towards a sustained peace.
The prime minister is keen for Thursday’s news conference with Mr Trump to run smoothly after a turbulent month for his administration, following the resignation of Sir Keir’s deputy, Angela Rayner, and the sacking of his ambassador in Washington, Peter Mandelson.
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