Sir Keir Starmer will be forced to bow to pressure from ‘the real Prime Minister’ Angela Rayner and agree to recognise Palestinian statehood within weeks, Labour MPs claimed last night.
They predicted Sir Keir would have no choice but to make the historic move by autumn now that his deputy has thrown her weight behind the plan.
One MP told The Mail on Sunday: ‘In response to Israel‘s murderous actions in Gaza, it’s Rayner – not Starmer – who’s acting like the real PM.
‘There’s no way Keir can hold the line on this. Angela speaks for Labour MPs and members on this.’
The claims come amid a mounting humanitarian disaster in Gaza, with UN agencies warning of the territory running out of specialised food to save severely malnourished children.
But yesterday, the Prime Minister made clear he was sticking to his policy of insisting that recognising Palestine statehood must come as part of a wider ‘pathway to peace’ in the region.
In a social media post after speaking to French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Friedrich Merz, Sir Keir turned his attention to getting food aid into Gaza.
The Prime Minister said: ‘Israel must allow aid in over land to end the starvation unfolding in Gaza. The situation is desperate.’
Sir Keir Starmer will be forced to bow to pressure from ‘the real Prime Minister’ Angela Rayner and agree to recognise Palestinian statehood within weeks, Labour MPs claimed last night
Muhammad Zakariya Ayyoub al-Matouq faces life-threatening malnutrition as the humanitarian situation worsens due to ongoing Israeli attacks and blockade, on July 21, 2025
Smoke rises to the sky following an Israeli airstrike in the northern Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel, Saturday, July 26, 2025
Last night, Israeli ambassador to the UK Tzipi Hotovely told the Telegraph that recognising a Palestinian state would ‘reward’ the terrorists behind the October 7 atrocities.
The statehood row erupted on the eve of Donald Trump’s four-day visit to the UK – sparking concern that it could overshadow discussions tomorrow between him and Sir Keir over a trade deal.
Mr Trump, who arrived in Scotland on Friday, has made clear his disapproval of Mr Macron’s declaration on X last week that France will recognise Palestinian statehood in September, telling reporters at the White House: ‘What [Mr Macron] says doesn’t matter. He’s a very good guy. I like him, but that statement doesn’t carry weight.’
The row in the UK escalated yesterday amid reports that Ms Rayner was ‘100 per cent’ behind other Cabinet ministers who wanted Sir Keir to follow the French president’s lead.
Her intervention came hot on the heels of the revelation that more than 130 Labour MPs – almost a third of the parliamentary party – wanted ‘immediate recognition’.
Last night, one Labour MP said the combination of Ms Rayner’s intervention and the views of so many of his MPs would force Sir Keir’s hand.
But he added that her move regarding Gaza is only the latest sign of how powerful the Deputy PM is becoming.
He said: ‘Her importance in keeping Starmer’s Government going is only matched by her clear ambitions to replace him.
‘Everybody knows what Angie is doing. She is sending a clear message that she is ready when the time comes.’
Last week, the Deputy PM presented the findings of a year-long study commissioned in the wake of riots after the Southport stabbings last year, warning of the risks illegal immigration now poses to social cohesion in Britain’s poorest communities.
Last night, one Labour MP said the combination of Ms Rayner’s intervention and the views of so many of his MPs would force Sir Keir’s hand
Palestinians wait in queue to get hot meals distributed by aid organizations in Gaza City, Gaza on July 26, 2025
Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike targeted a residential area in Gaza City, Gaza, on July 15, 2025
She warned follow Cabinet ministers to ‘acknowledge the real concerns people have’ about immigration and economic insecurity.
Ms Rayner also won favour with many Labour backbenchers earlier this year when it emerged she had suggested raising taxes by up to £4 billion a year ahead of Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s Spring Statement in March.
However, allies of the Deputy PM pointed to her insistence two months ago that she had no desire to replace Sir Keir.
‘I do not want to run for leader of the Labour Party. I rule it out,’ she told Laura Kuenssberg in May.
