LONDON – Conservative Party Leader, Kemi Badenoch, has fiercely criticised Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s decision to formally recognise the State of Palestine, describing it as “absolutely disastrous” and a move that rewards terrorism without addressing the plight of hostages in Gaza or the suffering of civilians caught in the conflict.
In a post on her X platform on Sunday, Badenoch, MP for North West Essex, accused Starmer of lacking a coherent plan for the country and instead pandering to “the hobby horses of the Labour left” to maintain power.
“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,” Badenoch wrote.
She further argued that Labour’s recognition of Palestine was part of a broader pattern of misplaced priorities, adding:
“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.”
Badenoch also criticised Starmer’s record on foreign affairs, recalling the payment of £35bn in reparations to Mauritius and the surrender of the Chagos Islands, which she framed 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,” 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.”
Starmer, MP for Holborn and St Pancras, had earlier announced that the UK’s recognition of Palestine was aimed at reviving “the hope of peace for the Palestinians and Israelis, and a two-state solution.”
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