Starmer to recall cabinet from summer recess as he faces pressure to back Palestinian state as humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepens
The Prime Minister is under pressure to follow French president Emmanuel Macron in recognising a Palestinian state as horror continues to mount over the conflict.
Sir Keir has so far resisted the calls, saying it should instead come as part of a wider peace process, with senior Labour figures saying he fears upsetting the US.
The PM is expected to use his relationship with Donald Trump to push for Washington to restart ceasefire talks when they meet in Scotland today.
But more than 200 MPs have urged him to immediately recognise a Palestinian state. Health Secretary Wes Streeting, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood and London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan are said to be among those urging the PM to move on the issue.
Labour pledged to do so in their manifesto and government officials say it is a question of 'when, not if'.
Referring to his meeting with Sir Keir, President Trump said yesterday: 'We'll be discussing that [a ceasefire agreement]. I think we're going to be discussing a lot about Israel.
'They're very much involved in terms of wanting something to happen. [Starmer] is doing a very good job, by the way.'
But Sir Keir faces another backbench rebellion after recess as the Scottish National Party has said it will table a 'Palestine Recognition Bill' if he does not change tack, which could see his own party vote with the SNP.
It comes as Israel introduced daily pauses to fighting in parts of Gaza to open up humanitarian corridors following international horror at images of starvation.
The IDF yesterday stopped some operations from 10am to 8pm to help get aid in. Leaders have committed to continue the ten-hour 'tactical pauses' every day until further notice following pressure from Israel's allies.
Britain is among countries backing airdrops of aid, including flour, sugar and canned food, with Israel, Jordan and the UAE running the flights. It is the first time the Israeli Air Force has carried out aid drops during the conflict.
Meanwhile, the IDF has also designated 'secure routes' from 6am to 11pm to enable the 'safe passage of UN and humanitarian aid organisation convoys delivering and distributing food and medicine across the Gaza Strip'.
But doctors and aid workers on the ground warned a full ceasefire is needed to stop the 'mass starvation'. The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry claims six more people have died from malnutrition – bringing the total to 133, including 87 children.
It also alleged nine Palestinians were killed and 54 injured at an aid convoy route in central Gaza.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said tactical pauses 'alone cannot alleviate the needs of those desperately suffering in Gaza'.
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The Guardian
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- The Guardian
‘Our north is the south': Softball leagues flourish in Brazilian city as Cuban arrivals outnumber Venezuelans for first time
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Sky News
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- Sky News
Just 36 aid trucks entered Gaza yesterday, Palestinian officials claim - short of 600 needed
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The National
an hour ago
- The National
Time will tell whether new Scottish left-wing party has the legs
In fact, having spoken to both Phil and other enthusiasts, SLA seems at a pretty embryonic stage right now. However, they are having a crunch meeting tomorrow with members of Collective, the London-based English grouping which shares much of the same left-wing agenda. One of the people coming north for the summit is Karie Murphy, who was head honcho at Jeremy Corbyn's office before being seconded to run Labour's 2019 election campaign. Labour subsequently had their worst result since 1935. Karie, a former nurse, now self-describes as a 'political strategist'. Although they are apparently not formally part of the Corbyn/Zarah Sultana combo which launched a new party somewhat messily the other week, Collective's website does not hide its admiration for the former Labour leader. READ MORE: John Swinney brands Gaza as 'genocide' for first time as Fringe show disrupted They assert that Collective 'has captured a renewal of socialist ideas and political energy that was generated under [[Jeremy Corbyn]]'s leadership of the Labour Party. It is driven by the spirit of 'Corbynism' that can now be seen in the UK-wide mobilisation, at all levels, in opposition to Labour's rightward and authoritarian turn.' Rightward and authoritarian it may be, but there's little evidence of enthusiasm for Scottish independence, which Phil Taylor describes as one of the core principles of the new movement in Scotland. Corbyn once described indy as 'not a priority', while Keir Starmer now says it can't happen at all while he's PM. Otherwise, the list of causes the Scottish Left Alternative embraces echoes to a large extent the mantra adopted by Collective in terms of support for workers, for Gaza, an assault on the climate emergency and corporate greed. Which means more than an element of crossover with the Greens. In Taylor's view, new leadership in the Greens in both England and Scotland means that the party will be readier to accept new kids on the political block. We shall see. Thus far, all is not sweetness and light amid the Greenery. He also says that in conversations within Scotland, he's found that many people are prepared 'to leave their political baggage at the door'. The other question mark is whether or not they can make a dent in SNP support or woo back those who defected/returned to Labour the last time round. The [[SNP]] too are in the midst of internal warfare, with their leader proposing one strategy and impatient footsoldiers an entirely different one. Half of his party thinks independence needs a much stronger focus, while the other half believes getting public services right will matter more to the Holyrood electorate. At the moment, Mr Swinney seems inclined to ride both horses at once which is fine, so long as you don't fall off. The other possible bone of contention between north and south is the SLA's declaration that it will support both women's rights and those of the LGBT+ community. Of late, that issue has also made a jagged split in tartan ranks. There is no doubting Taylor's sincerity, but perhaps a question mark over his naivety. It's one thing to suggest that there are many folks on the London left who just don't understand Scotland; quite another to hope they will jettison their long-standing beliefs in the value of Unionism on the say-so of a newly registered Scottish counterpart. There will be a second meeting of SLA adherents in early October which is coming perilously close to next May's Scottish elections. And, not at all incidentally, it will take place a week before the [[SNP]] gather for their 91st conference in Aberdeen. Taylor concedes that Collective is rather more motivated by the 2029 election than next year's Holyrood variety but sees no reason why that needs to matter. In his opinion, inclusivity and transparency will be the hallmarks of the new movement in Scotland. and Collective will be relaxed about any divergence in the electoral cycle or the attendant strategies required. Yet setting out a stall for an election some four years distant is a totally different proposition from one which has to get a serious act together in a matter of months. Plus, there is no guarantee that tomorrow's summit between Collective and Scottish Left Alternative will be an entirely harmonious affair, given the known areas of likely controversy. I reminded Phil that new parties have an unfortunate habit of rising without trace, but his optimism for the notion of a Scottish Left Alternative is unshakeable. There is no doubt that many erstwhile Labour voters are downright scunnered with the party just a year into its current five-year stint; the question is whether they will scamper off into this 'electoral vehicle' or whether they will merely switch allegiance to the Scottish Greens or the [[SNP]]. Much will ride on what conclusions the [[SNP]] conference reaches (or perhaps is allowed to reach). And whether or not Scottish Labour remember the Scottish bit. Mr Swinney's latest suggestion of a constitutional convention would have had rather more merit in late 2014 when the indy troops were licking their wounds and desperate for some kind of balm. Since then, there have been many trigger points to advance independence which were ignored from a great height – Mr Swinney will remember them well as he was embedded in the leadership team at the time. One straw in the nationalist wind is the notion of reprising 'both votes SNP'. As I never tire of explaining, this is a surefire route to handing seats to Unionist parties as the imperfect hybrid proportional system we use was devised to give list options to parties who failed to have their vote share properly reflected in parliamentary numbers. It has meant, inter alia, that some of those most hostile to independence for Scotland and, for that matter, even to devolution, are able to rest their posteriors on Holyrood seats. Though 2011 might have been a triumph, it was also an aberration. All parties – especially one in power for a long time – are liable to fall out with each other, a fate which may also await a fledgling one too. After all, if there's one thing the left excels at, it's contriving to split. After which, implosion generally follows. It's also difficult to see how a Corbynite cadre based in London can offer the hand of solidarity and friendship to a similar would-be mass movement in Scotland, but one wedded to self-determination even if they share an interest in most of the other named causes, like wealth taxes and 'welfare not warfare'. Mr Taylor insists that the Scottish end of the equation is bottom-up and organic and most certainly not a mere branch office of the English operation: 'It will not be a franchise of a UK initiative.' That's an admirable ambition, and one which makes it rather more distinctively Scottish than Anas Sarwar's fiefdom. Yet you do wonder if the Scottish tail will be permitted to wag the English dog. Anyway, some of the mist will have cleared by close of play tomorrow. Then we will find out if we have a serious new player in the game, running up and down the left wing, or whether this is yet another false dawn for people of a lefty persuasion. Watch this space.
