Britain still planning to recognise Palestinian state, Lammy to tell MPs

David Lammy will tell MPs today that the UK still intends to recognise a Palestinian state later this month, with Israel having shown no sign of meeting the government's demands.

- Kiran Stacey

The foreign secretary will say in a Commons statement that government officials intend to carry out a formal assessment in the coming days of whether Israel has complied with the tests set out by the prime minister, Keir Starmer, last month.

But, with Benjamin Netanyahu's government continuing to harden its position in respect to Gaza and the West Bank, the foreign secretary will confirm that Britain remains on the "pathway" to recognising Palestine.

One UK official said: "We will assess all the factors relevant to recognition. But, as things stand, we're on a pathway to recognition later this month."

Starmer said in August that the UK would recognise Palestine before the UN general assembly, which starts on 9 September, unless Israel met a series of preconditions.

The prime minister made his statement after conversations with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, and the French president, Emmanuel Macron, the latter of whom has said he intends to recognise Palestine at the UN meeting.