Is Starmer willing to recognise Palestine or not?
The News Agents
Global
4.2 • 4.3K Ratings
🗓️ 30 July 2025
⏱️ 41 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
After a ninety minute crisis cabinet meeting - driven by the appalling scenes of starvation in Gaza - Keir Starmer emerged with a plan: the UK would recognise Palestine by September. If Israel hadn’t changed its behaviour before then. So, is statehood for Palestine an end goal for UK foreign policy? Or just a punishment for Israel? And what happens if there ARE moves towards peace in the next six weeks - is that rewarded by the UK stepping back from its pledge? We talk to global historian Peter Frankopan about what “recognition“ really means. And ask Emily Thornberry where it leaves her party.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The Newsagents podcast is brought to you by HSBC UK, opening up a world of opportunity. |
| 0:09.1 | This is a global player original podcast. |
| 0:12.8 | This is the moment to act. So today, as part of this process, this is the moment to act. So today, as part of this process, this is the moment to act. So today, as part of this process towards peace, |
| 0:26.7 | I can confirm the UK will recognize the state of Palestine by the United Nations General Assembly |
| 0:33.3 | in September, unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation |
| 0:41.6 | in Gaza, agree to a ceasefire and commit to a long-term sustainable peace reviving the prospect |
| 0:49.2 | of a two-state solution. |
| 0:51.1 | That is Kirstama laying out the new position of the UK government on recognition |
| 0:58.3 | of a Palestinian state. It all sounds rather brilliant for about a minute until you look more |
| 1:05.6 | closely and then it all unravels. So the most fundamental question is, |
| 1:11.4 | is what difference does it make |
| 1:13.1 | if Britain recognises Palestine or not? |
| 1:17.7 | And is this about principle |
| 1:19.2 | or is it about party management? |
| 1:23.1 | And is Israel going to take any notice anyway? |
| 1:26.1 | Welcome to the news agents. The news agents. |
| 1:33.8 | It's John. It's Emily. And after a 90-minute cabinet meeting called yesterday around 3 o'clock, |
| 1:42.4 | the news broke that Britain would recognise a Palestinian state. |
| 1:50.2 | There is not a full stop after that. There is a clause. |
| 1:53.2 | If. |
| 1:53.8 | If, it would recognise a Palestinian state around the time of the UN General Assembly, Unger, which is normally mid-September, |
| 2:04.9 | if Israel had not by then laid out a stable plan for peace between Israelis and Palestinians. |
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