Senior Tory MPs Urge UK to Recognize Palestinian State

More than a dozen senior Conservative MPs and peers in the UK have broken ranks with their party leadership by urging Prime Minister Keir Starmer to immediately recognize Palestine as a state. In a letter organized by former minister Kit Malthouse and signed by moderates and right-leaning Conservatives alike, the group argued that such recognition would demonstrate Britain's commitment to justice, self-determination, and equal rights. They emphasized that delaying recognition risks sending the message that Palestinian statehood is conditional while Israeli territorial expansion continues unchecked, undermining the prospects for a two-state solution. The letter, sent after the collapse of Israeli-Hamas peace talks and recent Israeli government actions in Gaza, calls recognition a necessary step to reinforce international law and diplomacy rather than a distant bargaining chip. Support for this position marks a shift among some Conservatives, who traditionally aligned with the party’s official policy and support for Israel. The initiative comes ahead of upcoming UN talks and an international conference focused on the two-state solution, amid growing calls from other nations for Palestinian recognition.