SNP tells UK Government recognise state of Palestine
SNP Middle East spokesman Brendan O'Hara MP said that if the UK Government 'could muster just a shred of conviction and courage they would have the power to act'.
Brendan O'Hara MP (Image: NQ) He went on: 'After witnessing another week of slaughter, the Labour Party could, and should, begin this new week by taking two concrete steps,' he said.
'They should start this new week by finally stopping all arms sales to Israel and finally recognising the state of Palestine.
'President Macron was crystal clear that he is preparing to join other European nations in recognising the state of Palestine and that he is pressing the UK to join this 'political momentum' towards a ceasefire and a permanent peace.
'Keir Starmer should stop the excuses and join him in recognising the state of Palestine without any more damaging delays.
'That would send the clearest of signals that we are prepared to protect and guarantee the right of the Palestinian people to their own homeland – and that all diplomatic levers will be used to prevent any plan that effectively proposes ethnic cleansing in Gaza.
'It is also blindingly obvious that anyone claiming to support a two-state solution must back immediate recognition of Palestine, otherwise their words ring hollow.
'If after this week Westminster stays sitting on its hands and fails to use the power it has to act, then they will be totally complicit in giving the (Benjamin) Netanyahu government impunity to commit week upon week of slaughter, even deadlier than the one Palestinians have just suffered.'
READ MORE:
The SNP are also calling for an end to the sale of arms to Israel (Image: NQ) The party pointed out that 144 members of the UN, including Ireland, Spain and Norway, have already moved to recognise Palestine.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said earlier this week that the UK Government remained 'completely committed' to recognition, but refused to set a time frame for it, saying it was a 'moving, live situation'.
A FCDO spokesperson said: 'From day one we have taken decisive action – suspending relevant export licences, suspending trade negotiations, restarting UNRWA funding, sanctioning Israeli Ministers, providing aid to hundreds of thousands of civilians, and using our position on the UN Security Council to demand the end of this war and the full resumption of aid into Gaza.
'We continue working with international partners to end Palestinian suffering, free the hostages and secure lasting Middle East peace.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Rhyl Journal
21 minutes ago
- Rhyl Journal
Davey vows to challenge Farage and calls for ‘Swedish-style' budget changes
In a wide-ranging speech, the Liberal Democrat leader accused his Reform UK rival of having 'no answers' to the problems facing Britain and said voters 'can't bank on anything that man says'. He also set out calls for a major shake-up of economic and net-zero policy, including a Swedish-style approach to Government whereby MPs are allowed to debate tax and spend changes – and propose alternatives and amendments – before the measures are finalised. Speaking at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) in central London, Sir Ed said his party had considered its proposed reforms carefully beneath the headline announcements. Asked if a focus on technical detail would cut through to voters enough to combat a populist threat in the polls, he said: 'The truth is, Nigel Farage has no answer, right? 'Nigel Farage will tell you about all the problems, but when you ask him about his answers, he's just got nothing to say.' He added: 'We've got to hold these people to account for getting away with their snake-oil sales… the difference with us is we have thought through the policies underneath the headlines, which is why people can bank on them. 'They can't bank on anything that man says.' Asked if he saw Reform UK as the main political threat, Sir Ed said: 'He has to be taken on… I think he keeps misleading people.' The Lib Dem leader said Mr Farage's approach to renewable power 'would only benefit foreign dictators like Vladimir Putin'. He unveiled a package of pledges which he claimed could cut energy bills in half within 10 years, including a proposed switch of all green power contracts on to a subsidy scheme guaranteeing generators a fixed price. Such contracts for difference (CfD), awarded at a Government auction, would mean the 'link can be broken' between electricity costs and market fluctuations caused by the price of gas, Sir Ed said. He also proposed an Office for the Taxpayer, based in Parliament and designed to hold policy-makers to account, a 'bespoke' UK-EU customs union, an 'economic coalition of the willing' aimed at fostering more international trade, and a tougher approach to US President Donald Trump.
The Independent
21 minutes ago
- The Independent
What does rising inflation mean for interest rates – and Rachel Reeves' Budget?
Inflation is up again – prices are 3.6 per cent higher than a year ago, worse than the forecast 3.4 per cent – while the economy shrunk by 0.1per cent in May. This news isn't helping the government build a reputation for economic competence, and it adds to a rather depressing backdrop to the next Budget in late October, widely expected to be another with substantial tax rises. As we all know, elections tend to be won or lost on the economy. Why is inflation up? Partly for technical reasons related to how the consumer price index works: fuel and energy prices fell substantially around this time last year, pushing inflation down to the 2 per cent official target; and while they're not rising much now, there is that arithmetic effect. More substantially, and worryingly for ministers and the Bank of England, the figures suggest that core (or underlying) inflation – much of it attached to growth in wages – remains too strong for the Bank to be confident about trend inflation coming down markedly. That means an even slower downward path for interest rates. For the chancellor, it seems some but not all of the increase in employers' national insurance that came into force in April is being passed on in price rises, the rest being met by lower wage settlements and pruning of profit margins. The minimum wage increase has also increased labour costs. These have certainly given the opposition some ammunition. As the governor, Andrew Bailey, sometimes remarks, the last yards of this marathon race to get inflation down are the hardest. What will happen to interest rates? It's nuanced. The consensus seems to be that the Bank's Monetary Policy Committee will cut rates at its meeting next month by another 0.25 percentage points, to 4 per cent – which the government would greet with enormous relief. Inflation trends aren't bad enough to warrant postponing such a cut, which would in any case surprise and disappoint the City. However inflation is still 'sticky' and stubborn enough to mean that future cuts will be glacially slow in arriving. So mortgage holders and businesses won't be as better off as they might be or as previously hoped. Are these figures politically significant? One month's data rarely is, but Kemi Badenoch made the most of the mildly bad news at prime ministers' questions, telling the prime minister that Britain now has the fastest rising prices among the G7 major economies. Aside from the prospective cut in interest rates in a few weeks, the short-term outlook is gloomy and that feeds through to the opinion polls. The cost of living crisis is still on, and the next Budget will probably make things tougher for the middle classes. Labour's rhetoric about 'working people' and the chancellor's boasts about putting more money in people's pockets carry a little less credibility when inflation is poised to exceed four per cent later in the year and she seems so keen in cutting social security. More than that, there seems little short-term prospect of an improvement in the public finances or the wider economy. Heavy losses for Labour in next year's local government, Scottish and Welsh elections look certain. Are we in stagflation? Arguable. It's true that a variety of long-term factors, including Brexit and labour shortages, have conspired to reduce the ability of the UK economy to grow strongly without triggering inflationary pressures, especially in the labour market (which is why forthcoming jobs data will be closely examined by the Bank). However, inflation should gradually trend lower over the medium term, even if the prospects for growth will remain mixed – Trump's tariffs being a major risk factor, notwithstanding the recent US-UK deal. Reeves' programme of structural reforms – planning, financial deregulation, air and rail projects, housing – will take years to make much impression on growth. By then some other party might well be in power to reap the dividends of her investments; but who ever thought politics was fair?
The Guardian
22 minutes ago
- The Guardian
What are rescissions – and why does Trump want Congress to approve them?
Congressional Republicans are pushing for passage of a rescissions package, legislation requested by Donald Trump that will claw back $9bn in funding intended for foreign aid programs and public broadcasting. The bill, which is part of the president's campaign to slash government spending, passed the House last month, and is now being debated in the Senate. Congress controls the power of the purse by approving a budget and then appropriating money. But under the Impoundment Control Act of 1974, the president may request the rescission of previously authorized funds, and Congress has 45 days to approve it, otherwise the money must be spent. The 45 days on Trump's package of rescissions requests expires on Friday, hence the reason why the GOP is moving to quickly pass the bill. It also explains why the House speaker, Mike Johnson, on Tuesday pleaded with the Senate to 'pass it as is' – meaning the version of the bill that passed his chamber last month. The White House has proposed cancelling a total of $9bn in authorized funding, including $1.1bn budgeted for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds NPR and PBS, and about $8bn meant for foreign assistance programs. On the chopping block is money meant for organizations affiliated with the United Nations and other international organizations, including the World Health Organization and the UN Human Rights Council, as well as for refugee assistance and some USAID programs. No. It initially proposed a rescissions package totaling $9.4bn, but the Senate decided to preserve $400m in funding for Pepfar, a program credited with saving millions of people from infection or death from HIV that was created in 2003, under the Republican president George W Bush. Fairly controversial. Four Republicans voted against it in the House of Representatives, and in the Senate, three Republicans opposed it, requiring the vice-president, JD Vance, to show up and break the 50-50 tie vote that resulted. The Republican senators who opposed it were Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, along with Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the party's former Senate leader who will retire after next year. All three complained that the White House did not provide enough details of exactly what funding would be canceled, while Collins and Murkowski, both moderates, also oppose slashing funding for public broadcasters. It returns to the House for a final vote, due to the changes made in the upper chamber's version. No. Further cuts to government departments and initiatives are expected in the forthcoming budget for the 2026 fiscal year, which begins on 1 October.
