Starmer convenes Cabinet for urgent meeting on Gaza
The Prime Minister is focusing on securing aid for those on the ground and a 'sustainable route' to a two-state solution, Downing Street has said, and emphasised that the UK recognising Palestine was a matter of 'when, not if'.
Sir Keir has started working with France and Germany on a process to 'bring about a lasting peace' in the Middle East and shared the plans with US President Donald Trump when they met in Scotland on Monday.
He is expected to share details with Arab states and other key allies in the coming days.
The Cabinet meeting, which some ministers are attending in person and others virtually, comes after Parliament broke for its summer recess last week.
Pro-Palestine protesters gathered outside Downing Street as the meeting took place.
Four people wearing white headdresses posed solemnly above what appeared to be a model shrouded corpse and crowd of people gathered banging pans with spoons, many of them wearing keffiyehs and carrying Palestinian flags.
A metres-long banner was held in front of the black gates in Whitehall reading 'genocide in Gaza' and 'death from famine and disease'.
Speaking on Tuesday morning, Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said he would not 'pre-empt' the meeting, but added it was 'right' to 'assess what Britain can do' to ease the situation in Gaza.
Pro-Palestine protesters take part in a demonstration outside the gates of Downing Street ahead of the Cabinet meeting (James Manning/PA)
He also said the Palestinian people should be 'rewarded for what they've been through' and given the tools 'to move them towards the kind of peace, stability and dignity that every citizen in every country is owed'.
Amid international alarm over starvation in Gaza, Israel announced at the weekend that it would suspend fighting in three areas for 10 hours a day and open secure routes for aid delivery.
The UK confirmed it was taking part in airdrops of aid into the territory.
Aid agencies have welcomed the new measures but said they were not enough to counter the rising hunger in the Palestinian territory.
Sir Keir said that the British public is 'revolted' at the scenes of desperation in Gaza as he appeared alongside Mr Trump at his Turnberry golf course on Monday.
The US president hinted at sticking points in US-led negotiations over a peace deal, saying Palestinian militant group Hamas had become 'very difficult to deal with' in recent weeks.
He suggested this was because they held only a small remaining number of Israeli hostages.
Sir Keir's official spokesman said on Monday: 'This week, the Prime Minister is focused on a pathway to peace to ensure immediate relief for those on the ground, and a sustainable route to a two-state solution.
'We are clear that the recognition of the Palestinian state is a matter of when, not if, but it must be one of the steps on the path to a two-state solution as part of a wider plan that delivers lasting security for both Palestinians and Israelis.'
Sir Keir has likened the plan he is working on with France and Germany to the coalition of the willing, the international effort to support Ukraine towards a lasting peace.
Humanitarian aid is airdropped to Palestinians over central Gaza as seen from Khan Younis (Abdel Kareem Hana/AP)
His spokesman said the plan would build 'on the collaboration to date that paves the way to a long-term solution on security in the region'.
Sir Keir is meanwhile facing calls from a growing number of MPs to recognise a Palestinian state immediately.
More than 250 cross-party MPs have now signed a letter calling for ministers to take the step, up from 221 on Friday.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds on Monday dismissed the idea that there is a split at the top of Government over when to recognise a Palestinian state, saying 'we all want it to happen'.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting is among those to have signalled a desire for hastened action, calling for recognition 'while there's still a state of Palestine left to recognise', while Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the Government wants to recognise a Palestinian state 'in contribution to a peace process'.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
4 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Trump restores communication with world's most powerful banker
President Donald Trump and Jamie Dimon are back on speaking terms after years of fraught relations. Dimon, the CEO of JPMorgan Chase, reportedly met with Trump twice in the last couple of months, according to The Wall Street Journal. Dimon (pictured) is said to have visited the White House last week where he discussed the economy, trade and financial regulations with the President, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. During the meeting Dimon reportedly congratulated Trump on his new trade deal with Japan, people familiar with the matter told the outlet. The independence of the Fed — which sets benchmark interest rates that influence everything from mortgage costs to stock prices — is seen by Wall Street as vital for market stability. Dimon's support for the Fed and Powell could help to keep the President in check and reduce the likelihood of a rash decision to remove Powell, which could hit Americans' 401(K)s and housing costs. In last week's meeting Dimon reportedly told Trump he believed that interest rates could come down if the economy is sufficiently strong. Treasury Secretary Bessent (pictured) has tried to carry the same message to Trump in the past, according to the publication. The Fed once again held rates steady on Wednesday after better-than-expected economic data released in the morning. Trump used the opportunity to demand rates be lowered. 'MUST NOW LOWER THE RATE. No Inflation ! Let people buy, and refinance, their homes!' the president wrote in a post on his social media site Truth Social. Dimon and Trump also reportedly discussed the shortage of affordable housing and the impact of post-financial crisis regulations of homeownership, the Journal reported. Prior to their recent détente Trump and Dimon have traded insults publicly. Dimon resigned from a council of leaders after Trump's comments about a white supremacist rally during his first term in office. The banker also compared Trump's baseless accusations of election fraud in 2020 to treason. Trump later called Dimon 'highly overrated' in 2023 and has accused JPMorgan of 'debanking' conservatives. 'Jamie and everybody, I hope you're going to open your banks to conservatives, because what you're doing is wrong,' he said in January. Dimon has also been critical of Trump's aggressive trade policies, claiming they could be inflationary and slow down growth.
The Independent
6 minutes ago
- The Independent
PM urged to review oil policy after Trump labels North Sea ‘a treasure chest'
Donald Trump's call to 'incentivise' North Sea oil production should prompt an urgent Downing Street meeting, the shadow Scottish secretary has said. Andrew Bowie called for a review of policies affecting the oil and gas industry. The US president was in Scotland earlier this week and during his visit he described the North Sea as 'a treasure chest for the United Kingdom', and warned fossil fuel taxes make 'no sense'. He also took aim at 'some of the ugliest windmills you've ever seen', referring to wind turbines off the coast near Aberdeen. Mr Bowie has written to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer calling for a meeting in London to explore the effects of oil and gas policies. He referred to the windfall tax on the profits made from extracting UK oil and gas, introduced by the previous Conservative government in 2022 and retained until 2030 by Labour Chancellor Rachel Reeves. In his letter to Sir Keir, Mr Bowie wrote: 'As president Trump has said, the UK's 'very high' tax on oil and gas companies is a deterrent to investment. 'The extension of the energy profits levy (EPL), coupled with uncertainty around future licensing and investment signals, has created a climate of instability that threatens jobs, innovation and the region's economic resilience. 'President Donald Trump's remarks during your visit – calling Aberdeen the 'oil capital of Europe' and urging the UK to 'bring it back' – reflect a sentiment shared by many in the region. 'May I urge you to consider the president's call to 'incentivise' domestic production of hydrocarbons? 'Oil and gas still have a vital role to play in our energy mix and economic future; British people would rather see the UK benefit from domestic exploration and drilling than import more from Norway and Qatar.' Mr Bowie, who is the Conservative MP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, added: 'Will you urgently call a meeting in Downing Street to conduct the review in partnership with industry leaders, our world-leading supply chain business, and the local workforce to ensure a coherent and sustainable path forward?' During his visit with Sir Keir, Mr Trump posted on his Truth Social website: 'North Sea Oil is a treasure chest for the United Kingdom. 'The taxes are so high, however, that it makes no sense. 'They have essentially told drillers and oil companies that, 'we don't want you'. 'Incentivise the drillers, fast. A vast fortune to be made for the UK, and far lower energy costs for the people.' Speaking at his Turnberry golf resort in South Ayrshire, Mr Trump said: 'When we go to Aberdeen, you'll see some of the ugliest windmills you've ever seen, the height of a 50-storey building.' Gesturing with his hands, he added: 'You can take 1,000 times more energy out of a hole in the ground this big.' Sir Keir at the time said oil and gas are 'going to be with us for a very long time, and that'll be part of the mix, but also wind, solar, increasingly nuclear'. Aberdeen has been chosen by the Government to host the headquarters of GB Energy, a state-owned company set up to accelerate the rollout of renewables.
Telegraph
6 minutes ago
- Telegraph
European stock markets sink as Trump unleashes new global tariffs
European stock markets slumped to a five-week low on Friday after Donald Trump unleashed sweeping global tariffs, including a 39pc levy on Switzerland. The Eurostoxx index dropped 1.7pc as stocks were also dragged lower by the US president's demand that the world's biggest drug makers must lower prices for American consumers. Switzerland faces a double blow. It is home to some of the world's biggest pharmaceuticals companies, and now also faces becoming an isolated island of high tariffs surrounded by European nations whose manufacturers face relatively lower taxes in exporting to the US. The Eurostoxx index dropped 1.6pc to its lowest level since late June, while the FTSE 100 fell 0.6pc. More than £16bn was wiped off the value of Europe's biggest pharmaceutical companies amid fears such a move will be funded by higher charges on the rest of the world. AstraZeneca was one of the biggest fallers on the FTSE 100 on Friday morning, with shares down 3.9pc, while GlaxoSmithKline fell 1.6pc. Novo Nordisk, the Danish maker of Ozempic, is trading down 4.4pc in Copenhagen, and Sanofi is down 0.3pc in Paris. It came as Mr Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on trading partners including a 35pc levy on neighbouring Canada, in a move that will upend global trade. From next Friday, a new range of tariffs will apply to 69 other nations, ranging from 10pc – the same level facing goods from Britain under the UK-US trade deal – to 41pc for products from Syria.
