‘I felt useless and needed to do something’: UK MP on letter that triggered Palestine recognition move

Sarah Champion tells The National how plight of a Gazan family led her to help influence Britain's historic decision

'To lose hope is a horrific thing,' says Labour MP Sarah Champion.

A call from a friend in Gaza to an influential Labour MP was instrumental in Britain’s historic move towards recognising the Palestinian state, she has told The National.

Just days before the UK government announced its first steps in recognising the state, Sarah Champion received a phone call from a friend who told the politician that after months of struggling to find food in Gaza “my family are just waiting to die”, and everyone they knew felt the same.

“To lose hope is a horrific thing, I felt useless and knew I needed to do something to try and restore it,” Ms Champion told The National.

The next steps she took were to have a decisive impact on Britain recognising Palestine as a sovereign nation and influencing President Donald Trump’s view that starvation was genuine in Gaza.

A pro-Palestine protest in London in July. Thomas Harding / The National

Had to act quickly

The call taken by Ms Champion, chairwoman of Parliament’s international development committee, was on Wednesday, July 23.

The situation in Gaza was visibly deteriorating, with pictures of starving children shared on social media. There was a growing consensus to rein in Israel’s actions, she felt, including its plans to further annex occupied West Bank territories.

With parliament heading into summer recess Ms Champion had to act quickly if she was to maximise pressure on the government.

She knew that very senior cabinet members − including the Foreign Secretary David Lammy − were dismayed by Israel’s dismissal of their concerns and had been quietly lobbying Prime Minister Keir Starmer for Palestine recognition.

If she could garner enough cross-bench parliamentary support then that could provide the impetus for a major political step.

Message blitz

Ms Champion and her team went to work sending WhatsApp messages and emails to fellow MPs to sign a letter that called on Mr Starmer to recognise Palestine.

“I was amazed how many we got, and in such a short space of time – just 30 hours – but I think it is a clear representation of the strength of feeling in Parliament in support of the Palestinian plight,” she said.

The following night, France suddenly announced it would recognise Palestine, and by 5pm on the Friday she had amassed a record number of 221 signatures from MPs representing nine different parties.

“UK recognition would have a significant impact due to our historic connections and our membership on the UN Security Council, so we urge you to take this step,” the MPs said.

Key to the gathering of signatures was the respect held by fellow MPs from all parties for Ms Champion, who has been consistently outspoken on the plight of Palestinians.

With this in mind, Mr Starmer knew he had to respond quickly and while he did not immediately agree, he did use new language condemning Israel’s “disproportionate military escalation in Gaza” that was “indefensible”.

US President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in Scotland. PA

'Set the agenda'

However, with US President Donald Trump landing in Scotland just a few hours later, now was not the time to initiate a political earthquake.

But having the American leader in Britain was useful as he would be meeting Mr Starmer on the Monday, by which time after continued weekend reports of the grim situation in Gaza, 255 MPs had now signed the letter.

The letter, according to Ms Champion, had “set the agenda for journalists when Trump came to the UK”, and this made the President more aware of the dire situation.

In the press conference with Mr Starmer, Mr Trump stated “that’s real starvation stuff, I see it, and you can’t fake that,” adding “we have to get the kids fed”.

The letter had been “a significant factor in his comments around believing starvation was occurring in Gaza”, claims Ms Champion.

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy at a UN conference on a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians, in New York. AFP

Indication of urgency

More important was the letter’s impact on the British government’s decision on July 29, just after Mr Trump left Scotland, to set out its steps towards recognition.

“The letter gave them an indication of the urgency, and I am glad they listened,” Ms Champion said.

While Britain’s move was met with fury from Israel, she argued that it sent a “clear signal” that the UK believed “Palestine is a viable state and needs to be treated as such; with all the protections and rights afforded to other nations”.

“To have a two-state solution, you have to have two states,” she added. “And the Israeli cabinet needs to understand the status quo is neither acceptable nor going to continue.”

Israel also needed to secure a ceasefire and work for a lasting peace that “enables both countries to feel safe and respected”, added the MP for Rotherham, in northern England.

Britain, unless Israel meets certain conditions will now be joined by France, Canada, Australia and Malta at the UN General Assembly next month in recognising Palestine, taking the total of countries that do so to 152.