UK, Canada and Australia formally recognise Palestinian state - UK politics live

Key events

Show key events only

Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature

Starmer says he will sanction Hamas figures in 'coming weeks'

Here is what some of Keir Starmer said in his 6.21 minute video explaining why the UK is now recognising Palestinian statehood:

Hamas is a brutal terror organization. Our call for a genuine two state solution is the exact opposite of their hateful vision.

So we are clear: this solution is not a reward for Hamas, because it means Hamas can have no future, no role in government, no role in security.

We have already prescribed and sanctioned Hamas, and we will go further. I have directed work to sanction other Hamas figures in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, the man made humanitarian crisis in Gaza reaches new depths.

The Israeli government’s relentless and increasing bombardment of Gaza, the offensive of recent weeks, the starvation and devastation are utterly intolerable.

Tens of thousands have been killed, including thousands as they tried to collect food and water. This death and destruction horrifies all of us. It must end.

UK recognises Palestinian statehood, Starmer says

The British prime minister, Keir Starmer, has just announced the UK’s recognition of a Palestinian state, in what is seen as a major change in UK foreign policy, albeit largely symbolic.

It comes shortly after Canada and Australia both decided to recognise Palestine as a sovereign state.

The UK’s decision carries symbolic weight as Britain played a major role in Israel’s creation as a modern nation in the aftermath of the second world war and has long been its ally.

The decision may mean the Palestinian Mission in London is upgraded to embassy status. It could also result in banning products that come from Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories.

Anthony Albanese said Palestinian statehood recognition is part of a coordinated effort alongside Canada and Britain and will form “an international effort for a two-state solution”.

In part of a statement, which you can read in full in the post below, the Australian prime minister said:

The president of the Palestinian Authority has restated its recognition of Israel’s right to exist, and given direct undertakings to Australia, including commitments to hold democratic elections and enact significant reform to finance, governance and education.

The terrorist organisation Hamas must have no role in Palestine.

Australia recognises Palestine as a state, Albanese says

Australia has also just announced its recognition of a Palestinian state on social media.

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said Australia recognised “the legitimate and long-held aspirations of the people of Palestine to a state of their own”.

As my colleague Tom McIlroy notes in this story, the establishment of an embassy and active diplomatic relations will flow once the Palestinian Authority meets reform commitments sought by the international community.

Canada becomes first G7 nation to recognise a Palestinian state

Canadian prime minister Mark Carney has just said on X that Palestine has been recognised by Canada as a state. It means Canada has become the first G7 nation to recognise a Palestinian state.

In a statement, Carney said:

The current Israeli government is working methodically to prevent the prospect of a Palestinian state from ever being established. It has pursued an unrelenting policy of settlement expansion in the West Bank, which is illegal under international law.

Its sustained assault in Gaza has killed tens of thousands of civilians, displaced well over one million people, and caused a devastating and preventable famine in violation of international law. It is now the avowed policy of the current Israeli government that ‘there will be no Palestinian state’.

It is in this context that Canada recognises the State of Palestine and offers our partnership in building the promise of a peaceful future for both the State of Palestine and the State of Israel. Canada does so as part of a coordinated international effort to preserve the possibility of a two-state solution.

While Canada is under no illusions that this recognition is a panacea, this recognition is firmly aligned with the principles of self-determination and fundamental human rights reflected in the United Nations Charter, and the consistent policy of Canada for generations.

We are expecting the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, to confirm within the hour that the UK will formally recognise Palestinian statehood, two days before the start of the 80th session of the UN general assembly.

The move, which is fiercely opposed by Israel, the US, some hostages families and some of Labour’s political opponents, will make the UK the first G7 (Group of Seven) nations to officially recognise a Palestinian state.

France and Canada have also announced their intentions for Palestinian recognition, but are expected to do so formally at the UN general assembly in New York later this week.

French President Emmanuel Macron has led the current drive for recognition. Photograph: Benoît Tessier/Reuters

Germany and Italy, meanwhile, which are also G7 members, have made it clear that they have no intention to follow suit – at least for now.

Along with some other European governments, they believe recognition should be part of two-state negotiations, despite the prospect looking extremely unlikely as Israel’s assault on Gaza continues unabated.

Japan, eager to maintain good relations with the US, reportedly does not intend to recognise Palestine at this moment. Currently, the state of Palestine is recognised by more than 140 of the 193 member states of the UN.

House of Commons nursery provider criticised for article praising Reform conference

The company running the House of Commons nursery and others across London has been criticised for publishing an article on its website praising Reform UK’s conference and claiming anti-immigration protests were “driven by a sense of injustice”.

The article, which was taken down by LEYF nurseries after an approach by the Guardian, was written by its chief executive, June O’Sullivan, after her visit to the party’s conference.

It described the government’s budget as “disastrous”, referred to the “frittering away of taxpayers’ money”, and used the pejorative nickname “Rachel from accounts” to refer to the chancellor, Rachel Reeves.

House of Commons authorities said they would remind the company of its responsibilities as a contractor when it came to public communications.

LEYF (London Early Years Foundation), which runs 43 nurseries across 13 London boroughs and says it is committed to a diverse workforce, published O’Sullivan’s recollections on attending the event under the headline Musings from the Reform Conference.

You can read the full story here:

European human rights laws must be “fit for the times that we live in today”, deputy prime minister David Lammy has told Times Radio.

He said the government is working with allies on potential changes to the European convention on human rights (ECHR) and is also examining how it is applied in domestic courts but assured there would be “no pulling out of the European convention”.

Lammy, who is also the justice secretary, said the law as it was currently being interpreted was being abused:

“Not pulling out of the European convention, that would run a coach and horses through the Good Friday agreement, through our terrorism legislation, we can’t do that.

“But I do believe that we do need to interpret article 8 for the times that we live in today.”

This morning the prime minister, Keir Starmer, and his wife, Victoria Starmer, attended a service at Westminster Abbey to mark the 85th anniversary of the Battle of Britain before watching a memorial flypast to recognise the occasion.

Keir Starmer and his wife attend a service to commemorate the 85th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. Photograph: David Parry/PA

Keir Starmer being greeted as he arrived at the service at Westminster Abbey. Photograph: David Parry/PA

Tulip Siddiq fears plans to use ‘fake’ documents to secure conviction in corruption trial

Daniel Boffey is the Guardian’s chief reporter

The former City minister Tulip Siddiq has said she fears prosecutors could be planning to use “fake” documents to secure her conviction in her trial in Bangladesh on corruption charges.

The Labour MP, who is being tried in absentia, spoke out after images of a Bangladeshi national identity card and a passport said to be in her name were published in newspapers in the UK and in Bangladesh.

Siddiq said the documents that appeared in the Times and Prothom Alo, a prominent Bangladeshi newspaper, were forgeries.

She said: “I’ve struggled with fake news for one year now about all my crimes. No evidence has been produced. So now fake documentation. And I guess the next step is fake evidence.”

Tulip Siddiq, the MP for Hampstead and Highgate, claims documents that appeared in the Times and a Bangladeshi newspaper were forgeries. Photograph: Sean Smith/The Guardian

Siddiq and 20 other individuals, including her aunt, her mother, her brother and her sister, have been on trial in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, since the start of August.

She is accused of influencing her aunt, Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted as Bangladesh’s prime minister last year, to secure a plot of land in a suburb of Dhaka for her family members.

She denies the allegations, which she says are politically motivated.

You can read the full story here:

The Scottish Liberal Democrats will “certainly” overtake the Scottish Conservatives at next year’s Holyrood election, its leader has said.

Alex Cole-Hamilton said that people have been abandoning the “shrivelled husk” of the Conservative party and have been drawn to the “positive vision of change” offered by his party.

There are currently five Scottish Liberal Democrat MSPs, including Jamie Greene, who defected to the party from the Tories earlier this year. The number of Scottish Conservative MSPs fell to 28 when Graham Simpson MSP defected to Reform UK in August.

Speaking on The Sunday Show on the BBC, Cole-Hamilton said the party also expects to win against the SNP in many parts of the country.

He said:

I’m focused on what’s going to happen in Scotland in just eight months time.

We have a huge opportunity, and the polling suggests that we’re going to take a massive leap forward at the next Scottish election.

We’re certainly going to overtake the Conservatives. You heard it here first, and we’re poised to win against the SNP in huge parts of the country.

People feel let down by the other parties. They’re tired, they’re frustrated, and they’re right to be. Scotland deserves better than this.

UK fighter jets have embarked on their first Nato air defence mission over Poland since Russian violations of the country’s airspace – by patrolling the area where 19 drones were shot down earlier this month.

On Monday, the government announced it would provide further air defence over the eastern European nation – with RAF Typhoons setting off from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire on Friday night.

Nothing significant was reported from the UK’s first Nato “Eastern Sentry” operation.

Fighter jets embarked on the mission 10 days after Russian drones entered Polish airspace and six days after another Russian drone was intercepted flying over Romania.

Poland has been on alert for craft entering its airspace since a stray Ukrainian missile struck a southern Polish village in 2022, killing two people.

The UK’s defence secretary, John Healey, said the RAF flights sent “a clear signal: Nato airspace will be defended”.

He added: “I’m proud of the outstanding British pilots and air crew who took part in this successful operation to defend our allies from reckless Russian aggression.”