London — A growing wave of parliamentary momentum is challenging the United Kingdom’s decades-long diplomatic inertia over Palestine, as senior Labour MP Emily Thornberry has called for immediate recognition of a Palestinian state, a move she claims would demonstrate moral clarity and bolster Britain’s international credibility.
Thornberry, who chairs the Foreign Affairs Select Committee in the House of Commons, urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government to act ahead of a forthcoming United Nations conference in New York, which is set to be co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia. The event is expected to reignite international discussions around a two-state solution amid the ongoing Israeli attack on Gaza that has left tens of thousands of Palestinians dead.
Her intervention comes as international criticism continues to mount against Western nations for what many perceive as complicity or silence in the face of Israeli aggression. Thornberry argued that official UK recognition of Palestine would send a strong diplomatic signal ahead of the UN gathering, emphasizing that peace “cannot wait for perfect conditions” and that immediate recognition could offer a lifeline to negotiations that have long stagnated.
Citing both geopolitical symbolism and historical accountability, Thornberry invoked the century-old Sykes-Picot Agreement, suggesting that Britain had a particular responsibility to correct its historical legacy. “It is time,” she said, “for the UK to step out from the shadows of colonial error and into a role of principled leadership.”
The Labour frontbencher’s call has found significant backing within the party, with nearly 60 MPs reportedly supporting her position. It marks one of the strongest collective endorsements for Palestinian statehood within Westminster in years and piles pressure on Foreign Secretary David Lammy, whose cautious diplomatic language has thus far avoided firm commitments. Thornberry insisted Starmer himself supports recognition “in principle,” though she acknowledged the timing remained in flux.
Her push aligns with recent developments across European diplomacy. France is also considering unilateral recognition, a move that, if mirrored by the UK, would effectively break with the longstanding Western consensus of linking recognition to a final peace deal, a formula that critics say has enabled perpetual delay while entrenching Israeli impunity.
Thornberry did not stop at recognition. She also demanded sanctions against illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, highlighting the UK’s recent decision to blacklist far-right Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir as insufficient. She emphasized that economic and diplomatic pressure must accompany political declarations if they are to carry any tangible weight.
The UK Foreign Office, however, continues to maintain that it will recognize a Palestinian state “at a moment of maximum impact,” without specifying what such a moment would entail. Meanwhile, Israeli officials continue to decry such recognition efforts as tantamount to legitimizing terrorism, while the Biden administration has signaled discomfort with any unilateral moves that may bypass Israeli consent.
As the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza deepens, with the Palestinian Health Ministry reporting over 58,000 deaths since the Israeli attack began in October 2023, Thornberry’s call underscores an urgent moral reckoning within UK foreign policy circles. Whether Starmer’s Labour government will act or default to diplomatic ambiguity remains to be seen.
According to The Guardian, Thornberry framed her appeal around an inflection point in history, warning that the credibility of Britain’s global standing is at stake: “We cannot keep wringing our hands while people are being slaughtered. Recognition of Palestine is not the end of the peace process, it is its beginning.”
