French lawmaker who uses a wheelchair wins a change in voting rules that discriminated against him
Sébastien Peytavie, the lawmaker who proposed the rule-change together with Yaël Braun-Pivet, the National Assembly president, said the discrimination he has faced during votes in parliament's lower house reflects France's larger failures toward people with disabilities.
Lawmakers voted Wednesday in favor of the proposal — with 183 for and none against— that now clears the way for Braun-Pivet to eliminate so-called 'sitting and standing' balloting.
That's when lawmakers either stay seated or stand up to show which way they are voting. It is one of four voting methods used by French lawmakers, depending on the circumstances. The others are a show of hands, with an electronic voting box or with paper ballots dropped into an urn.
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Metro
6 hours ago
- Metro
What's stopping Keir Starmer from recognising Palestine as a state?
Sir Keir Starmer is coming under a lot of pressure to recognise Palestinian statehood. He's under pressure from 221 MPs – more than a third of all the people who sit in the House of Commons – who collectively signed a letter urging recognition. He's under pressure from Jeremy Corbyn's newly announced left-wing party, which placed alleged UK complicity in the Gaza horror at the centre of its launch, and the significant number of supporters it has attracted. And he's under pressure from top Labour figures, ranging from London Mayor Sadiq Khan to members of his own cabinet, who are pushing him on the matter both publicly and privately. Those calls have grown in the past few days, as images of starving children have been beamed around the world and French President Emmanuel Macron has announced France will formally recognise Palestine as a state. But the Prime Minister has remained firm, insisting he will only press forward at the moment when the move would have the maximum impact. Craig Munro breaks down Westminster chaos into easy to follow insight, walking you through what the latest policies mean to you. Sent every Wednesday. Sign up here. In a statement released on Thursday night, Starmer said: 'We are clear that statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people. 'A ceasefire will put us on a path to the recognition of a Palestinian state and a two-state solution which guarantees peace and security for Palestinians and Israelis.' The UK is deeply entwined in the history of the region currently occupied by Israel and Palestine. In 1916, the British claimed control of the region called Palestine amid the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, and the following year, Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour said the UK would back a 'national home' for the Jewish people in the area. A little over three decades later, in 1948, David Ben-Gurion declared the independence of Israel. The UN admitted Israel as a member in 1949, but not Palestine. It was not until 1988 that Palestinian statehood was recognised by any UN member states, after the Palestinian National Council formally declared independence. Today, 147 of the UN's 193 member states recognise Palestine, including the vast majority of the countries in Asia, Africa and South America. The UK, US, Canada, Germany, Japan, Australia and New Zealand are among the nations that do not. In 2014, MPs in the House of Commons voted to 274 to 12 in favour of recognising Palestine as a state. But David Cameron's government responded with a line that remains familiar today – that recognition would wait until it was deemed most appropriate for the peace process. On the face of it, the British government appears to be closer than ever to announcing formal recognition of a Palestinian state. Among the high-profile cabinet members reportedly arguing in favour are Deputy PM Angela Rayner, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood. The UK has also been closely aligning with France on the issue, as part of the E3 group of nations alongside Germany. However, both Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy have insisted publicly that the move is only worth making when it would be most effective in the pursuit of peace. On Tuesday, Lammy told the BBC: 'We don't just want to recognise symbolically, we want to recognise as a way of getting to the two states that sadly many are trying to thwart at this point in time.' Labour's election manifesto last year said the party is 'committed to recognising a Palestinian state as a contribution to a renewed peace process which results in a two-state solution with a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state.' More Trending The letter signed by 221 MPs, organised by Labour's Sarah Champion, said the announcement of recognition should come at a UN conference co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia on Monday and Tuesday. It said: 'British recognition of Palestine would be particularly powerful given its role as the author of the Balfour Declaration and the former Mandatory Power in Palestine. Since 1980 we have backed a two-state solution. 'Such a recognition would give that position substance as well as living up to a historic responsibility we have to the people under that Mandate.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Will there be a bank holiday and trophy parade if England win Women's Euro 2025? MORE: Empty shops to be turned into clubs and bars under new government plans MORE: Trump warns 'there'll be no Europe left' before immediately hitting golf course
South Wales Guardian
19 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Gaza ceasefire must be secured, PM to tell Trump amid stalled negotiations
The Prime Minister will travel to meet the US president during his visit to Scotland amid mounting global anger over the humanitarian conditions in the war-torn enclave. Ceasefire talks ground to a standstill this week after America and Israel withdrew negotiating teams from Qatar, with Washington's special envoy Steve Witkoff accusing Hamas of a 'lack of desire to reach' an agreement. The deal under discussion was expected to include a 60-day ceasefire, and aid supplies would be ramped up as conditions for a lasting truce were brokered. Sir Keir will raise the Trump administration's work with partners in Qatar and Egypt during his talks with Mr Trump and seek to discuss what more can be done to urgently bring about a ceasefire, it is understood. They will also discuss the recently agreed US-UK trade deal and the war in Ukraine. Britain is working with Jordan on plans to airdrop aid into Gaza and evacuate children needing medical assistance amid international concern about suffering in the Palestinian territory. However, the head of the UN's Palestinian refugee agency has warned that such efforts are 'a distraction' that will fail to properly address deepening starvation in the strip, and could in some cases harm civilians. Later on Saturday, Israel said it would establish humanitarian corridors to enable UN convoys to transport aid into Gaza, as well as airdrops. In a statement, the country's military said it would allow 'safe movement of deliveries of food and medicine' but that the military 'emphasises that combat operations have not ceased'. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) also said that there was 'no starvation' in Gaza, despite increasing accounts of malnutrition and starvation-related deaths. The Prime Minister confirmed that Britain will be 'taking forward' plans to airdrop aid into the territory with partners such as Jordan as he held crisis talks with his French and German counterparts on Saturday morning. In a readout of the call, Number 10 said the leaders had agreed 'it would be vital to ensure robust plans are in place to turn an urgently-needed ceasefire into lasting peace'. The Prime Minister said later: 'Israel must allow aid in over land to end the starvation unfolding in Gaza. The situation is desperate.' The readout made no mention of Palestinian statehood, which Sir Keir has faced calls to immediately recognise after French President Emmanuel Macron announced his country would do so in September. Some 221 MPs from Labour, the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, SNP, Greens, Plaid Cymru, SDLP and independents have signed a letter pressuring the Government to follow suit at a UN meeting next week. The majority of those who have signed – 131 – are Labour MPs. #Gaza: airdrops will not reverse the deepening starvation. They are expensive, inefficient & can even kill starving is a distraction & screensmoke. A manmade hunger can only be addressed by political will. Lift the siege, open the gates & guarantee safe movements… — Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) July 26, 2025 The Government has so far said its immediate focus is on getting aid into the territory and insisted that recognising statehood must be done as part of a peace process. But UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said airdrops in particular can be dangerous as they can fall on civilians, and that being able to drive supplies through is more effective and safer. 'Airdrops will not reverse the deepening starvation. They are expensive, inefficient and can even kill starving civilians,' he said. 'It is a distraction and screensmoke.' Sir Keir and Mr Trump, who is in South Ayrshire on a private visit to his Turnberry golf course, are expected to meet on Monday.
South Wales Guardian
19 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
UK working on plans to air drop aid into Gaza, PM says
The Prime Minister held emergency talks with Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz on Saturday amid mounting global anger at the humanitarian conditions in the enclave. In a readout of the call, Number 10 said the leaders had agreed 'it would be vital to ensure robust plans are in place to turn an urgently-needed ceasefire into lasting peace'. 'The Prime Minister set out how the UK will also be taking forward plans to work with partners such as Jordan to air drop aid and evacuate children requiring medical assistance,' a Downing Street spokesperson said. However, the head of the UN's Palestinian refugee agency warned airdrops were 'a distraction and screensmoke' that would fail to reverse deepening starvation in Gaza, and could in some cases harm civilians. UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said on Saturday: 'A man-made hunger can only be addressed by political will. Lift the siege, open the gates and guarantee safe movements and dignified access to people in need.' Israel said on Saturday it was allowing UN convoys to transport aid into Gaza, as well as airdrops, and that it had reconnected power to a desalination plant into the territory, where there is widespread devastation. The readout made no mention of the issue of Palestinian statehood, which the Prime Minister has faced calls to immediately recognise after French President Mr Macron confirmed his country would do so in September. However, Downing Street said the leaders had committed to 'work closely together on a plan' to 'pave the way to a long-term solution and security in the region'. Once the proposals have been 'worked up', they will seek to advance them with other key partners, including in the region, the readout said. Some 221 MPs from Labour, the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, SNP, Greens, Plaid Cymru, SDLP and independents have signed a letter pressuring the Government to follow suit at a UN meeting next week. Sarah Champion, the senior Labour MP who organised the letter by parliamentarians, said recognition 'would send a powerful symbolic message that we support the rights of the Palestinian people'. Other senior Commons figures who signed the letter include Labour select committee chairs Liam Byrne, Dame Emily Thornberry and Ruth Cadbury. Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey, as well as Tory former minister Kit Malthouse, and Sir Edward Leigh – Parliament's longest-serving MP – also signed it. The majority of those who have signed, 131, are Labour MPs. The Government has so far said its immediate focus is on getting aid into the territory and insisted that recognising statehood must be done as part of a peace process. Charities operating in Gaza have said Israel's blockade and ongoing military offensive are pushing people there towards starvation, warning that they are seeing their own workers and Palestinians 'waste away'. But Mr Lazzarini said airdrops can be dangerous as they can fall on civilians, and that being able to drive aid through is more effective and safer. 'Airdrops will not reverse the deepening starvation. They are expensive, inefficient and can even kill starving civilians,' he said. 'It is a distraction and screensmoke.' In a statement on Saturday, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said 'airdrops of aid will resume' including 'seven pallets of aid containing flour, sugar, and canned food'. It said it would allow 'safe movement of UN convoys delivering food and medicine' but that the military 'emphasises that combat operations have not ceased'. The state also said that there was 'no starvation' in Gaza, despite increasing accounts of malnutrition and starvation-related deaths. US President Donald Trump has suggested Mr Macron's announcement, which saw him commit to formally recognising Palestinian statehood at the UN General Assembly in September, 'doesn't matter'. The Prime Minister will meet the US president during his trip to Scotland, where he arrived on Friday evening. Ceasefire talks have been at a standstill after the US and Israel recalled negotiating teams on Thursday, with Washington's special envoy Steve Witkoff accusing Hamas of a 'lack of desire to reach a ceasefire'. Foreign Secretary David Lammy's opposite number Dame Priti Patel said she had 'repeatedly pressed' him on 'what specific and deliverable solutions he is trying to advance on aid'. 'The British Government needs to be leveraging its influence and the UK's considerable aid expertise to bring about practical solutions that alleviate the dire and deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza,' she said. 'The priority must be to get as much aid in as possible, delivered safely and exclusively to innocent civilians. 'Diplomacy is about finding solutions, not just issuing condemnations.' Meanwhile, Israel's ambassador to the UK said recognising Palestinian statehood would 'reward' hostage-taking and killing by Hamas. 'Recognising a Palestinian state in a post-October 7 reality would be nothing less than a reward for terrorism,' she wrote in the Telegraph.
