Emmanuel Macron, the French President, last week became the first leader of a G7 nation to announce that he would take the step , with the formal change coming at the United Nations General Assembly in September.
It came after weeks of private discussions with the United Kingdom and other allies about how and when to announce the recognition of Palestine.
British officials have long favoured attaching conditions to the move to deliver tangible changes in the stance taken by Hamas, the terror group that rules Gaza and was responsible for the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel.
Macron argued that the announcement alone could trigger progress towards peace.
Today Donald Trump, the United States President, appeared to clear the way for Starmer to change the UK’s stance on recognition, saying the Prime Minister was free to take a new position.
But No 10 will still be carefully calibrating Washington’s reaction to any new declaration after Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State, last week accused Macron of serving “Hamas propaganda”.
Today a US State Department spokesman described a United Nations conference to discuss recognition of Palestine – being attended by David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary – as “unproductive and ill-timed”.
The spokesman said: “This is a publicity stunt that comes in the middle of delicate diplomatic efforts to end the conflict”.
Around 150 of the countries that are members of the UN, some three-quarters of the total, have already recognised Palestine as a state – but not the UK, the US or the biggest European economies.
Britain’s long-standing position has been that the step will be taken but only when it can help the peace process in the Middle East.
The images of malnutrition in Gaza, including of starving children, that have made the front pages as Israel limits access to aid have fuelled renewed debate within the UK about recognition.
Behind the scenes, Cabinet ministers including Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister, and Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, are pushing Sir Keir to take the step.
Last week, 135 Labour MPs signed a letter calling for the recognition of Palestinian statehood, while Labour mayors and the party’s Scottish leadership are also piling on the pressure.
Starmer has recalled his Cabinet from the northern summer parliamentary recess for a discussion about Gaza at 2am Wednesday NZT which is expected to include the approach on statehood and increased delivery of aid.
Speaking to reporters during his meeting with Trump in Scotland today, the Prime Minister made clear his shock at the photographs of starvation coming from Gaza.
He said: “Certainly, speaking for the British public and myself, those images of starving children in particular are revolting and there’s a sense of revulsion in the British public at what they’re seeing. And they know and we know that humanitarian aid needs to get in at speed, at volume.”
Trump also publicly pressed Israel to do more to get food to the Palestinians, saying there was “real starvation” in Gaza and that the US would be setting up places with “no boundaries” that people could reach by walking.
Starmer has been hardening his rhetoric on recognising Palestine in recent days, when he also has been talking to both Macron and Friedrich Merz, the German Chancellor, about Gaza.
On Friday NZT, he said it was the “inalienable right” of Palestinians to have their own state. The following day he said he was “unequivocal” that recognition was necessary for “lasting peace”.
But placing caveats on the declaration when he unveils his plan later this week, rather than announcing the move immediately, would risk a backlash from some in Labour.
Labour MPs have expressed concerns to the Telegraph that delays could benefit the new hard-left party being set up by Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labour leader, which is championing Palestine.
One Labour MP said: “There are millions of voters deeply worried about Gaza. I think the Government are in deep trouble on the issue.
“They need to move fast but it may be too late to win voters back … This is why so many Labour MPs are so worried about their own seats.”
Sir Keir is taking part in discussions, led by Jordan, about whether aid can be dropped into Gaza to help ease malnutrition.
At the weekend, Israel announced that it would suspend fighting in three areas of Gaza for 10 hours a day and open secure routes for aid delivery.
Starmer’s official spokesman said the plan coming later this week would build “on the collaboration to date that paves the way to a long-term solution on security in the region”.
He added: “The Prime Minister will be presenting that plan to other key allies, including the US and Arab states, over the coming days, and indeed convening Cabinet this week. You can expect to see more coming out of that.”
