Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch condemned the Prime Minister Keir Starmer-led United Kingdom’s decision to formally recognise the State of Palestine.

PUNCH Online reports that Britain, alongside Australia and Canada, on Sunday recognised a Palestinian state in a seismic shift in decades of Western foreign policy.

Britain and Canada became the first G7 countries to take the step, with France and other nations expected to follow at the annual UN General Assembly, which opens Monday in New York.

However, the decision triggered swift Israeli anger and condemnation from the opposition.

READ ALSO:Our Country A Home, Not Hotel, Badenoch Decries UK Immigration Crisis

Reacting in a statement on her X on Sunday, Badenoch described the move as “absolutely disastrous.”

She argued the move rewards terrorism with no conditions, and the decision would be widely regretted.

She said, “Absolutely disastrous. We will all rue the day this decision was made. 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.”

The Winchester opposition leader accused Labour of pandering to its “hard left” rather than fixing Britain’s pressing domestic problems.

READ ALSO:Badenoch Slams UK PM For Cutting Defence Funding Amid Global Threats

“It is because Labour cannot fix the big problems in our society that they focus on discredited student union campaigns to appease the hard left.”

Listing examples of Labour’s failings, she said, “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. And so on. This is the same man who paid £35bn of reparations to Mauritius along with the surrender of the Chagos islands.”

Badenoch also criticised what she described as the prime minister’s lack of judgment.

READ ALSO:British Citizenship: Shocker As Badenoch Proposes 15 Years For Immigrants

“Everything we are seeing is a consequence of a Prime Minister who has no plan for the country and no judgment.

“He will spend the next four years delivering the hobbyhorses of the Labour left to stay in power and leave a HUGE mess for us to clean up.”

Earlier, Starmer announced the recognition of Palestine in a post on X, saying the move was intended to provide a two-state solution.

He said, “Today, to revive the hope of peace for the Palestinians and Israelis, and a two-state solution, the United Kingdom formally recognises the State of Palestine.”

US President Donald Trump will lead tributes to Charlie Kirk on Sunday at a huge stadium gathering to honour the young right-wing influencer slain in America’s latest spasm of political violence.

As he left the White House to fly out west, Trump said the memorial service was aimed “to celebrate the life of a great man. Really a great man.”

He added, “It will be a very interesting day. A very tough day.”

Thousands of people lined up in the pre-dawn dark, hoping to get into the 63,000-seat American football stadium hosting the service and honour the young Republican star who was a close ally of the president and is credited with helping him get reelected.

Many wore the red, white and blue of the US flag or caps with Trump’s iconic “Make America Great Again” slogan.

“I look at him as a Christ martyr, definitely,” Monica Mireles, a 44-year-old Texan who drove 12 hours to get here, said of Kirk.

READ ALSO:I Won’t Allow His Movement To Die, Charlie Kirk’s Widow Vows

Kirk, 31, was shot in the neck on September 10 while speaking at a Utah university as part of his popular public debate series.

Authorities arrested a suspect after a 33-hour manhunt, and prosecutors said they will seek the death penalty.

The killing of the founder of Turning Point USA, a right-wing youth action campaign, has inflamed acrimonious and violent political divisions in the United States.

Authorities say the suspected 22-year-old gunman cited the “hatred” he believed was stoked by Kirk — who was a vitriolic critic of transgender people, Muslims and others.

Kirk used his millions of social media followers, the massive audience of his podcast and appearances at universities to bolster Trump with young voters and fight for a nationalist, Christian-centric political ideology.

READ ALSO:I Won’t Allow His Movement To Die, Charlie Kirk’s Widow Vows

Even before the alleged killer was identified or arrested, Trump called Kirk “a martyr for truth and freedom” and blamed the rhetoric of the “radical left.”

The US president has lauded Kirk’s role in helping him get re-elected in November last year.

Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth will all speak at the memorial.

Also speaking will be Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., conservative commentator Tucker Carlson and other prominent Trump administration officials.

Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, who is taking over the reins of Turning Point USA, will also address the audience at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale.

READ ALSO:Charlie Kirk Shooter Arrested, Named

In response to the killing, the White House last week declared it would crack down on what it terms “domestic terrorism” by the political left.

Trump said he would designate “Antifa” — a shorthand term for “anti-fascist” used to describe diffuse far-left groups — as “a major terrorist organisation,” a move he threatened in his first term.

Prominent late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel was yanked off the air on Wednesday, hours after the government threatened to cancel broadcasting licenses because of comments he made about Kirk’s killing.

The moves have sparked alarm among Trump’s critics, who warn of possible steps to silence dissent of his divisive right-wing White House tenure, marked by a rolling back of social justice policies and an immigration crackdown that has seen widespread complaints of rights abuses.

AFP

The Donald Trump administration on Friday imposed new restrictions on Harvard’s access to federal funds, escalating its ongoing confrontation with the prestigious U.S. university.

In a statement, the Department of Education said Harvard has been placed under “heightened cash monitoring (HCM) status” due to “growing concerns regarding the university’s financial position.”

The department pointed to the administration’s accusations of civil rights violations at the school, alongside Harvard’s recent decision to issue bonds and lay off employees, as factors creating uncertainty over its finances.

Under the new measures, Harvard must now use its own money to cover student financial aid packages promised by federal officials, before later seeking reimbursement from the government.

READ ALSO:H-1B Visas: Trump To Impose $100,000 Annual Fee For Skilled Foreign Workers

“Students will continue to have access to federal funding, but Harvard will be required to cover the initial disbursements as a guardrail to ensure Harvard is spending taxpayer funds responsibly,” the department wrote.

Federal officials also directed Harvard to “post an irrevocable letter of credit for $36 million” to “cover potential liabilities and ensure that Harvard meets its financial obligations to both students and the Department.”

The restrictions mark the latest step in the Trump administration’s wider campaign against U.S. universities. Officials have accused Harvard and other schools of advancing “woke” ideology and of failing to protect Jewish students during pro-Palestinian demonstrations.

READ ALSO:Putin Has ‘Let Me Down’, Trump Laments As UK State Visit Ends

Harvard has rejected those claims, arguing that the federal government is attempting to exert control over hiring, admissions, and curriculum decisions.

Earlier this month, a Boston judge ordered the administration to unfreeze about $2.6 billion in federal funds, ruling that Trump’s Department of Education “used antisemitism as a smokescreen for a targeted, ideologically motivated assault on this country’s premier universities.”

Harvard officials did not respond to the latest move but announced Friday that the university had started recovering part of its frozen funds.

“We are pleased to see the disbursement of $46 million in research funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This is an initial step, and we hope to continue to see funding restored across all of the federal agencies.”

(AFP)