UK Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch has sharply criticised Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s decision to formally recognise a Palestinian state, calling the move “absolutely disastrous” and a reward for terrorism.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, Badenoch warned the decision would embolden Hamas, prolong the ordeal of Israeli hostages and fail to address civilian suffering in Gaza.

“Disastrous. Absolutely disastrous. We will all rue the day this decision was made,” she wrote. “Rewarding terrorism with no conditions whatsoever put in place for Hamas. It leaves hostages languishing in Gaza and does nothing to stop the suffering of innocent people caught in this war.”

She accused Labour of using the recognition to divert attention from its failure to fix pressing domestic issues, saying the government was chasing “discredited student union campaigns” to please the party’s left wing.

“They cannot fix the NHS, so they push assisted suicide.
They cannot create jobs for young people, so they give them votes at 16.
They cannot sort out immigration, but they will recognise Palestine instead,” she wrote.

Badenoch also criticised Starmer’s leadership style, citing the £35 billion reparations deal with Mauritius for the Chagos Islands as an example of poor judgement.

“Everything we are seeing is the consequence of a Prime Minister who has no plan for the country and no judgement. He will spend the next four years delivering the hobby horses of the Labour left to stay in power and leave a huge mess for us to clean up,” she said.

Starmer defended the decision, framing it as a historic step to revive the two-state solution and end the Gaza conflict. The UK now joins Canada and Australia in recognising Palestinian statehood — a move welcomed by Palestinian leaders but condemned by Israel and some Western allies.