The leader of the UK Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has sharply criticised Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s decision to formally recognise Palestine as an independent state, describing the move as “absolutely disastrous.”
LEADERSHIP reports that Starmer announced the recognition in a video shared on X on Sunday, saying Britain had now joined more than 150 countries in formally recognising Palestinian statehood.
“I know the strength of feeling that this conflict provokes,” the prime minister said, framing the move as a step to revive the hope of a two-state solution.
But, Badenoch, replying directly to Starmer’s post, accused him of poor judgement and warned that the decision would have lasting consequences.
“Disastrous. Absolutely disastrous. We will all rue the day this decision was made,” she wrote.
“Rewarding terrorism with no conditions whatsoever put in place for Hamas. It leaves hostages languishing in Gaza and does nothing to stop the suffering of innocent people caught in this war.”
The Conservative leader argued that recognising Palestine without demanding concessions from Hamas amounted to legitimising terrorism while doing little to address the plight of civilians or the release of Israeli hostages.
Badenoch went further, linking the decision to what she called Labour’s failure to govern effectively at home.
“It is because Labour cannot fix the big problems in our society that they focus on discredited student union campaigns to appease the hard left,” she said.
“They 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 also criticised Starmer’s handling of foreign policy, citing the recent settlement of Britain’s long-standing dispute with Mauritius.
“This is the same man who paid £35bn of reparations to Mauritius along with the surrender of the Chagos Islands,” Badenoch added.
The Tory leader accused the prime minister of lacking a clear vision for the country, claiming he was pandering to the Labour left to cling to power.
“Everything we are seeing is a consequence of a Prime Minister (who) has no plan for the country and no judgement. He will spend the next four years delivering the hobby horses of the Labour left to stay in power and leave a HUGE mess for us to clean up.”
Britain’s recognition of Palestine came amid mounting global pressure over Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza, which Palestinian authorities say has killed more than 65,000 people since October 2023. While countries such as Canada and Australia joined the UK in extending recognition on Sunday, both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the United States have strongly opposed the move.
