The United Kingdom is expected to formally announce its recognition of a Palestinian state on Sunday afternoon, in what will be a significant development in its Middle East policy.

Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, had previously said in July that the UK would change its stance in September unless Israel agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza and committed to a long-term peace arrangement built around a two-state solution.

For decades, successive British governments had argued that recognition should only come as part of a negotiated peace process.

The new step marks a break from that approach and positions the UK alongside countries that have already taken a unilateral decision on the matter.

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The Israeli government has strongly criticised the move. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said such recognition “rewards terror,” while families of hostages still held by Hamas also condemned the decision.

UK ministers maintain that the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank left the government with no option but to act.

They argue that the decision is about keeping alive the possibility of a peace settlement.

Officials pointed to recent images of starvation and violence in Gaza, which Starmer has previously called “intolerable.” Israel’s latest military operation in Gaza City, described by a UN official as “cataclysmic,” forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes.

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Earlier this week, a United Nations commission accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. Israel rejected the finding as “distorted and false,” but UK ministers said the report added to the urgency of taking a new course.

Justice Secretary David Lammy cited settlement expansion in the West Bank as a critical factor.

He referenced the E1 project, which critics say would end the viability of a contiguous Palestinian state, as one example of actions undermining peace.

Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the UK’s plan when he met Starmer earlier this month. Both leaders agreed that Hamas should have no role in any future Palestinian government.

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Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch, however, warned against the move. Writing in The Telegraph, she argued that recognition “at this time and without the release of the hostages would be a reward for terrorism.”

Hostage families echoed that concern in an open letter, saying the announcement had “dramatically complicated efforts” to secure the release of their loved ones. They claimed Hamas had already celebrated the UK’s decision as a victory and pulled back from a ceasefire deal.

The United States also opposed the move. During his visit to London, President Donald Trump said he disagreed with Britain’s position, emphasising the need for more conditions before such a step.

Despite the backlash, Starmer insisted he was acting in line with his July pledge. He argued that with the two-state solution under threat, this was “the moment to act.”

Recognition of a Palestinian state has been a long-standing demand within the Labour Party, and Starmer faced pressure from his MPs to deliver. More than half of Labour members signed a letter earlier this year urging him to take the step without delay.