Conservative Party Leader Kemi Badenoch has strongly condemned Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s decision to formally recognise the State of Palestine, describing it as a misguided move that rewards terrorism while failing to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
In a post on her X account on Sunday, September 21, Badenoch, MP for North West Essex, said the recognition ignored the plight of hostages still held in Gaza and did little to ease the suffering of civilians.
“Rewarding terrorism with no conditions whatsoever put in place for Hamas leaves hostages languishing in Gaza and does nothing to stop the suffering of innocent people caught in this war,” she wrote.
Badenoch further accused the Labour government of lacking a clear plan for the country and pandering to “the hobby horses of the Labour left” in order to cling to power. She listed issues such as the NHS, youth employment, and immigration as areas where Labour had failed to act decisively.
She also criticised Starmer’s wider record on foreign affairs, citing the £35bn reparations to Mauritius and the surrender of the Chagos Islands as evidence of poor judgement.
“Everything we are seeing is a consequence of a Prime Minister who has no plan for the country and no judgement,” Badenoch said. “He will spend the next four years delivering the hobby horses of the Labour left to stay in power and leave a huge mess for us to clean up.”
Starmer, MP for Holborn and St Pancras, had earlier defended the decision, saying the recognition of Palestine was intended to “revive the hope of peace for the Palestinians and Israelis, and a two-state solution.”