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Daily Mirror
27 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu 'completely lost it' with angry response to Keir Starmer
Emily Thornberry, the chairwoman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, welcomed Keir Starmer's decision to recognise the state of Palestine in September if Israel fails to act A senior Labour MP has said the Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu "completely lost it" overnight with his angry response to Keir Starmer. Dame Emily Thornberry, the chairwoman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, welcomed the " major change in British foreign policy". It came as Mr Starmer last night piled the pressure on Israel to end the slaughter by declaring Britain will recognise Palestine as a state if conditions are not met The PM warned Benjamin Netanyahu that he will make the move in September unless the country agrees to certain terms, including a ceasefire in the Strip. But last night Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu hit back angrily at Mr Starmer's announcement. Posting on X, he said: "Starmer rewards Hamas's monstrous terrorism & punishes its victims. Appeasement towards jihadist terrorists always fails." Dame Emily told the BBC on Wednesday that despite the majority of Israeli people wanting peace its right-wing government "just wants continual war". Pressed on whether the UK was irrelevant in the conflict, she replied: "No, we're not irrelevant. If we're completely irrelevant, why has Netanyahu completely lost it overnight? It's not exactly a considered, careful, diplomatic statement, really. It's a furious statement." Dame Emily also praised the UK government's move - but other MPs urged ministers to go much further. Lib Dem leader Sir EdDavey said that Britain's actions must include "fully ceasing arms sales and implementing sanctions against the Israeli cabinet." Others including the ex-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn criticised Mr Starmer for using Palestinian statehood as a "bargaining chip" with Israel. "It is not a threat. It is an inalienable right of the Palestinian people," he posted on X. On Tuesday evening the PM warned Mr Netanyahu that he will recognise the state of Palestine in September unless the country agrees to certain terms, including a ceasefire in the Strip. Mr Starmer had summoned ministers back from Parliament's summer recess for an emergency Cabinet meeting on the situation. He later told reporters a "catastrophic failure of aid" has meant Gazans are enduring terrible suffering and added: "We see starving babies, children too weak to stand, images that will stay with us for a lifetime. The suffering must end." Donald Trump had appeared to give the UK government the green-light on the issue as he met with the PM at his Scottish golf course. He suggested he did not mind Mr Starmer "taking a position" on the issue. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander also denied on Wednesday the PM's announcement to recognise the state of Palestine was a "reward for Hamas". She told Times Radio: "Not at all. This isn't about Hamas. "This is about the Palestinian people. It's been the longstanding position of my party and indeed this government when we came to power last year that we would recognise the state of Palestine at a point in time when it would have maximum impact."
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
UK rejects criticism that move to recognise Palestinian state rewards Hamas
LONDON, July 30 (Reuters) - Britain on Wednesday rejected criticism that it was rewarding militant group Hamas by setting out plans to recognise a Palestinian state unless Israel took steps to improve the situation in Gaza and bring about peace. The sight of emaciated Gaza children has shocked the world in recent days and on Tuesday, a hunger monitor warned that a worst-case scenario of famine was unfolding there and immediate action was needed to avoid widespread death. Prime Minister Keir Starmer's ultimatum, setting a September deadline for Israel, prompted an immediate rebuke from his counterpart in Jerusalem, who said it rewarded Hamas and punished the victims of their 2023 cross-border attack. U.S. President Donald Trump said he did not think Hamas "should be rewarded" with recognition of Palestinian independence. Asked about that criticism, British Transport Minister Heidi Alexander - designated by the government to respond to questions in a series of media interviews on Wednesday - said it was not the right way to characterise Britain's plan. 'This is not a reward for Hamas. Hamas is a vile terrorist organisation that has committed appalling atrocities. This is about the Palestinian people. It's about those children that we see in Gaza who are starving to death," she told LBC radio. 'We've got to ratchet up pressure on the Israeli government to lift the restrictions to get aid back into Gaza.' France announced last week it would recognise Palestinian statehood in September. Successive British governments have said they would recognise a Palestinian state when it was most effective to do so. In a televised address on Tuesday, Starmer said that moment had now come, highlighting the suffering in Gaza and saying the prospect of a two-state solution - a Palestinian state co-existing in peace alongside Israel - was under threat. Starmer said Britain would make the move at the U.N. General Assembly in September unless Israel took substantive steps to allow more aid to enter Gaza, made clear there will be no annexation of the West Bank and committed to a long-term peace process that delivered a two-state solution.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Tory councillor's wife jailed for Southport riots tweet is set to be freed within weeks, close friend says
The wife of a Conservative councillor who was sentenced to two years in jail over a 'racist' tweet will be freed next month, a close friend has said. Lucy Connolly was imprisoned at HMP Drake Hall, Staffordshire after she pleaded guilty to a charge of inciting racial hatred following last summer's Southport riots. But now a friend of the mother and former childminder has shared a post to X saying Connolly will be 'with a glass of Whispering Angel in-hand' this time next month. The pal, who describes herself as a '"conspiracy" blonde', said: 'Missed a call whilst working today and not spoke to her for 2 weeks now... *HOWEVER* Happy to say that this time next month Lucy will be with a glass of Whispering Angel in-hand - And more importantly her family AT HOME.' She concluded the post with, 'What a year it's been...' Connolly was given a 31-month sentence in October after admitting to making her 'racist' post on X, formerly known as Twitter. The post, which she later deleted, said: 'Mass deportation now, set fire to all the f****** hotels full of the b******* for all I care... if that makes me racist so be it.' News of Connolly's scheduled release comes just two months after she lost an appeal to shorten her 31-month sentence. The post, which she later deleted, said: 'Mass deportation now, set fire to all the f****** hotels full of the b******* for all I care... if that makes me racist so be it' Connolly had told the Court of Appeal in London she 'never' intended to incite violence and did not realise pleading guilty would mean she accepted she had. But her argument was rejected. A number of public figures and politicians have spoken out since Connolly was handed her sentence claiming she is a victim of 'two-tier justice'. Connolly's husband, Raymond, a former West Northamptonshire Conservative councillor, said on the day she lost her appeal: 'Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood says she will release 40,000 prisoners, some of them dangerous men on tag. 'Lucy has not been allowed out on tag and she has been denied leave to see our child who is struggling. 'Today, the court had the opportunity to reduce her cruelly long and disproportionate sentence, but they refused. That feels like two-tier justice. 'The British people know all this is not right. They have given an amazing £81,000 so far to Lucy's crowd-funder. Despite today's upsetting setback, Lucy gets courage from everyone's kind support.' Mr Connolly had been a Tory West Northamptonshire district councillor but lost his seat in May. He remains on the town council. Lucy Connolly, of Northampton, was arrested on August 6, by which point she had deleted her social media account. But other messages which included other condemning remarks were uncovered by officers who seized her phone. Her X post was made just hours after killer Axel Rudakubana murdered three young girls and attempted to murder 10 others at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on July 29, sparking nationwide unrest. The former childminder was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court in October after pleading guilty to a charge of inciting racial hatred. The Southport atrocity sparked nationwide unrest, with several people - including Connolly - jailed as a result. Her tweet was viewed 310,000 times in three-and-a-half hours before she deleted it. She later pleaded guilty to distributing material with the intention of stirring up racial hatred at Birmingham Crown Court and was sentenced to 31 months in prison in October. But she told the Court of Appeal in May that she had no idea the full extent of what she was admitting, and that her solicitor Liam Muir had not properly explained what 'inciting violence' meant in the context of her tweet. It was only when the judge was speaking at her sentencing hearing that it fully dawned on her, she said when applying to have her prison term reduced. The case sparked international interest with the White House saying in May it was 'monitoring' Connolly's case. It came as US officials said they had 'concerns' about free speech in Britain. The Ministry of Justice has been contacted for comment.
