Over 220 members of the UK Parliament, representing nine political parties, have signed an open letter addressed to Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, urging the UK to formally recognize a Palestinian state.
The group emphasizes that such a move would send a powerful diplomatic message and serve as a critical step toward a two-state solution. More than half of the signatories are Labour MPs, including prominent figures such as former minister Liam Byrne and committee chair Ruth Cadbury.
The letter also includes cross-party voices such as Lib Dem Leader Sir Ed Davey, former Conservative minister Kit Malthouse, and long-serving Conservative Sir Edward Leigh. MPs from the SNP, Green Party, Plaid Cymru, SDLP, and several independents also backed the appeal.
The move comes shortly after France pledged to recognize Palestinian statehood, which has increased diplomatic pressure on the UK to follow suit. Starmer has stated that recognition must be part of a broader peace plan aimed at achieving lasting security and a fully realized two-state solution.
Labour MP Sarah Champion, who coordinated the letter, said recognition would send a strong symbolic message: that the UK supports Palestinian rights and remains committed to a viable path toward peace and stability in the region.
While many European countries—around 139 nations—already formally recognize Palestine, the UK has historically maintained that such a step should come only as part of a wider peace framework. Critics of the recognition push argue that without an agreed vision for the contours and governance of a Palestinian state, recognition alone risks being largely symbolic.
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