Politics LIVE: Keir Starmer sparks fury over Palestine - 'caving into backbenchers!'

Keir Starmer has succeeded in uniting both the left and right in Britain and abroad against him after announcing he plans to formally recognise the state of Palestine later this year.

Yesterday afternoon the Prime Minister said Britain will recognise a Palestinian state in September unless Israel ends the "appalling situation" in Gaza and commits to a long-term peace process.

Speaking to the Cabinet on Tuesday, the Prime Minister said that “because of the increasingly intolerable situation in Gaza and the diminishing prospect of a peace process towards a two-state solution, now was the right time to move this position forward".

The move was condemned by the Conservatives in Britain, as well as by the United States and Israel itself, as a "reward for Hamas", who will now be given the prize of statehood as a result of both the October 7 attacks and their refusal to hand back all Israeli hostages.

Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel fumed: "Keir Starmer's plan to recognise a Palestiniain state in September is designed to appease his backbenchers."

Jeremy Corbyn also slammed the announcement, saying Palestinian statehood "is not a bargaining chip. It is not a threat. It is an inalienable right of the Palestinian people. Our demands on this shameful Government remain the same – end all arms sales to Israel, impose widespread sanctions, and stop the genocide now.”

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