Kemi Badenoch, leader of the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party, has strongly criticised the government’s decision to formally recognise the State of Palestine, labelling the move “absolutely disastrous.” Her comments came after Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the policy shift on Sunday, alongside similar recognitions by Australia and Canada.
In a statement posted on her X account on Sunday, Badenoch argued that the decision rewards terrorism unconditionally and will have severe long-term consequences. “We will all rue the day this decision was made,” she stated. “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.”
Badenoch, who leads the opposition, accused the Labour government of focusing on international gestures rather than addressing pressing domestic issues. She suggested the recognition was an attempt to appease the party’s “hard left” supporters. “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,” she claimed.
She listed several domestic failings, arguing: “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 referenced Starmer’s recent agreement to pay £35 billion in reparations to Mauritius and return the Chagos Islands, using it as further evidence of what she called poor judgment. “Everything we are seeing is a consequence of a Prime Minister who has no plan for the country and no judgment,” she said. “He will spend the next four years delivering the hobbyhorses of the Labour left to stay in power and leave a HUGE mess for us to clean up.”
The recognition of Palestine by Britain, a key G7 nation and traditional ally of Israel, marks a significant change in Western foreign policy. France and other European countries are expected to follow suit during the UN General Assembly this week.
Prime Minister Starmer had defended the decision on X, stating it was intended “to revive the hope of peace for the Palestinians and Israelis, and a two-state solution.” However, the move has drawn sharp criticism from Israeli officials and conservative voices at home, deepening political divisions over the UK’s role in the conflict.
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