Badenoch Condemns Starmer’s Recognition of Palestine, Calls Move “Disastrous”

UK Conservative Party Leader, Kemi Badenoch, has sharply condemned Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s decision to officially recognise the State of Palestine, warning that the move is “absolutely disastrous” and risks rewarding terrorism while ignoring the plight of hostages in Gaza and the suffering of civilians trapped in the conflict.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, Badenoch, who represents North West Essex in Parliament, accused Starmer of pursuing political survival over sound policy, claiming he was catering to “the hobby horses of the Labour left.”

“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 reflects misplaced priorities within the government, 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 foreign policy record, pointing to the £35 billion reparations to Mauritius and the handover of the Chagos Islands as examples 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.”

Meanwhile, Starmer, MP for Holborn and St Pancras, defended the decision, saying the UK’s recognition of Palestine was intended to “revive the hope of peace for the Palestinians and Israelis, and a two-state solution.”