UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing pressure from senior members of his government and French President Emmanuel Macron to imminently recognize Palestine as a sovereign state due to the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Some cabinet ministers have grown frustrated with Starmer’s resistance to fulfilling his promise to back Palestinian statehood, according to people familiar with the matter. Health Secretary Wes Streeting, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood, Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy have recently urged Starmer and his Foreign Secretary David Lammy to move more quickly on the issue, the people said.