UK Conservative Party leader, Kemi Badenoch, has strongly criticised Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s decision to formally recognise the State of Palestine, warning that the move amounts to “rewarding terrorism” in the wake of Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel.
“We will all rue the day this decision was made,” Badenoch wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “Rewarding terrorism with no conditions whatsoever leaves hostages languishing in Gaza and does nothing to stop the suffering of innocent people caught in this war.”
Her remarks came after the UK government joined France, Canada, Australia, and Portugal in officially recognising Palestinian statehood, a landmark policy shift aimed at reviving hope for a two-state solution.
Announcing the decision on Sunday, Prime Minister Starmer said, “Today, to revive the hope of peace for Palestinians and Israelis, the United Kingdom formally recognises the State of Palestine.”
Badenoch, a staunch supporter of Israel, blasted the move as a political distraction. “Labour cannot fix the NHS, so they push assisted suicide. They cannot create jobs for young people, so they give them votes at 16. They cannot sort out immigration, but they will recognise Palestine instead,” she said, accusing the Labour government of prioritising ideology over governance.
The decision has also drawn sharp criticism from Israel and the United States. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it a “huge reward to terrorism,” insisting that “a Palestinian state will not be established west of the Jordan River.”
The U.S. Mission to the UN reiterated Washington’s opposition, stating that recognising Palestinian statehood without conditions would “reward the heinous Hamas attack on Israel that massacred and kidnapped Israelis and Americans.”
