LONDON, England — Kemi Badenoch, leader of the Conservative Party, has sharply criticised Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s decision to formally recognise Palestine as a state, describing the move as “absolutely disastrous.”
Her comments came hours after Starmer announced in a video on X that the United Kingdom had joined more than 150 countries in granting recognition, calling it “a pledge to the Palestinian and Israeli people that there can be a better future.”
Responding on the same platform, Badenoch accused the Labour government of rewarding terrorism and ignoring the plight of hostages still held in Gaza following the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023.
“Disastrous. Absolutely disastrous. We will all rue the day this decision was made,” she wrote.
“Rewarding terrorism with no conditions whatsoever put in place for Hamas. It leaves hostages languishing in Gaza and does nothing to stop the suffering of innocent people caught in this war.”
The opposition leader argued that the move demonstrated poor judgement and would have long-term consequences for Britain’s global standing.
She also attacked Labour’s broader domestic and foreign policies, portraying the recognition as part of what she called “hobby horses of the Labour left.”
“It is because Labour cannot fix the big problems in our society that they focus on discredited student union campaigns to appease the hard left,” Badenoch said.
“They cannot fix the NHS, so they push assisted suicide. They cannot create jobs for young people, so they give them votes at 16. They cannot sort out immigration, but they will recognise Palestine instead.”
She further accused Starmer of weak leadership, referencing the government’s agreement earlier this year to pay reparations to Mauritius and surrender the Chagos Islands.
“Everything we are seeing is a consequence of a Prime Minister [who] has no plan for the country and no judgement,” she 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.”
Disastrous.
Absolutely disastrous.
We will all rue the day this decision was made.
Rewarding terrorism with no conditions whatsoever put in place for Hamas.It leaves hostages languishing in Gaza and does nothing to stop the suffering of innocent people caught in this war.
— Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) September 21, 2025
The UK’s recognition followed similar announcements by Canada and Australia, moves welcomed by Palestinian officials as a step toward sovereignty but condemned by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “rewarding terror with an enormous prize.”
The United States has also voiced opposition, maintaining its longstanding position that Palestinian statehood should emerge only from direct negotiations with Israel.
