The Gaza peace deal would not have been possible without US President Donald Trump, Sir Keir Starmer has said.
Speaking in the House of Commons the day after the peace deal was signed, the prime minister said: “Let no one be in any doubt that none of this would have been possible without President Trump.
“This is his peace deal, delivered, of course, with President Sisi of Egypt, the Emir of Qatar and President Erdogan.”
Sir Keir added: “I’ve had the opportunity to say that to him [President Trump] publicly and also privately, because, as you know, we get along, and that is good for our relationship with the US.”
Politics latest: Starmer defends UK’s role in peace deal
Following claims the UK had nothing to do with the peace deal, Sir Keir added that his government “offered the UK’s full support” to getting the peace deal over the line.
“We’ve worked behind the scenes for months with the US, Arab and European nations to help deliver a ceasefire, get the hostages out, get aid in and secure a better future for Israel, Gaza and the West Bank,” he said.
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“I’m proud of our contribution.”
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Hours before the deal was signed, US special envoy Steve Witkoff said the UK played a “vital role” after a tit-for-tat when the US ambassador for Israel accused cabinet minister Bridget Phillipson of being “delusional” for saying the UK played a “key role”.
He reiterated secretary of state Marco Rubio’s earlier claim that the UK and others recognising Palestine delayed the peace deal by two months.
UK ready to help peace plan
Sir Keir said the UK is “in a position to play this role precisely because of the approach this government takes”.
He said that includes the UK’s recognition of a Palestinian state last month, which he said got Arab nations to condemn the 7 October attacks.
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Sir Keir said the UK stands ready “to deploy our diplomacy and expertise in three areas” to ensure peace lasts.
Those areas are:
• Support the reconstruction of Gaza
• Support transitional governance arrangements in Gaza
• Draw on the UK’s experience in Northern Ireland to decommission Hamas weapons and capability.
The PM said the UK will help to deliver the 20-point peace plan “in full”.
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Badenoch: UK was not at heart of efforts
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said Monday was “truly momentous” and thanked the US administration.
However, she said: “It saddens me that the prime minister’s statement does not appear to show that the UK was at the heart of any of these efforts specifically.
“It is quite clear that UK relations with Israel have been strained by the actions of this government.”
She said relations with Israel “have been so damaged” that when Israel launched strikes against Iran “the UK was out of the loop”.
And she accused the government of a “moral failure”, quoting former British-Israeli hostage Emily Damari.
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“I’m surprised to hear the prime minister say in his statement that it was a contribution to this peace deal,” she added.
“We all know that the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, condemned this recognition, saying it had made ceasefire negotiations harder.”
