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Labour’s manifesto commits to recognising a Palestinian state before peace talks are completed. I can be revealed.
The party would go a step further than the current administration and vow to officially recognise Palestine “as part of the peace process”, rather than after it is concluded.
And while Labour’s manifesto does not explicitly say it will remove the controversial cap on second-child allowances, Labour insiders say they expect the party to try to find a way to repeal the policy across parliament.
Minister Sir Keir Starmer is under huge pressure over the cap, which is said to be the main cause of child poverty in the country.
But he resisted calls to promise to reverse the policy, insisting that he and shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves would not commit to spending without clear funding.
The Labour leader has also faced criticism over his handling of the Gaza conflict after Hamas attacks on Israel, with critics saying he was too late in calling for an “immediate ceasefire”.
Last year the House of Commons faced a rebellion with more than 50 MPs, including frontbenchers, voting against the Prime Minister’s stance, leading to resignations from MPs across the country.
There are fears within the party that it may lose votes to Brexit candidates with a more pro-Palestinian stance, such as George Galloway’s British Labour Party.
Mr Galloway won the Rochdale by-election in March, making the Gaza war a central issue in his campaign.
The commitment to a ceasefire is expected to be included in the manifesto, alongside a pledge to grant diplomatic status to Palestine.
The British government’s policy is not to recognise Palestine until a negotiated solution is reached that is agreed to by both the Israeli government and Palestinian representatives.
Switching to formal recognition within the negotiating process, rather than as part of a final peace agreement, would accelerate movement toward a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine.
Labour has previously said a Palestinian state “will not be given to us by our neighbours” and is expected to make clear it will not allow neighbours to veto it, but it is not clear how this would work.
Foreign Secretary David Cameron suggested Britain might recognise a Palestinian state before peace talks were concluded, a move that was later rejected by the president.
Following the announcement by Ireland, Spain and Norway of plans to recognise a Palestinian state, Labour said it wanted to open “serious” discussions if it came to power.
Labour is due to sign its final manifesto tomorrow in a key pre-election meeting.
The document is based on Starmer’s “five mandates” and will set out the policies a Labour government would implement if it wins the general election on 4 July.
I It is understood that the bill includes a commitment to reducing net immigration, but no specific numerical targets will be set.
In its plans to strengthen workers’ rights, Labour will protect the right to collective bargaining and promise to ban “fire and re-hire” practices and “exploitative” zero-hours contracts.
The party’s final position – a “New Deal for Workers’ Rights” – came after weeks of wrangling with trade unions, some of whom had accused Labor of watering down its policies to appeal to businesses.
The manifesto emphasizes the need for “partnership between labor unions and businesses.”
Labour will not promise to roll back the new voter ID rules introduced by the Conservative government, but it will promise that military and armed forces cards will remain valid.
There will also be several references to the importance of national security and the UK’s membership of NATO.
2024 Election
Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer have suspended campaigning in the House of Commons to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day. I‘s general election live blog is your go-to place for 2024 general election coverage, from party manifestos to candidate news.
Mr Starmer and Mr Sunak faced off in the first head-to-head leaders’ debate, which focused on Labour’s tax reform plans and the Conservatives’ pledges on NHS services. Ipolitical experts give their opinions on who will win the leadership debates and what real voters think about the candidates.
Away from the debate, the Conservatives announced plans to change gender law, but attention was focused on Nigel Farage’s shock move to stand for parliament and become leader of Reform UK – his first outing in Clacton ended with him covered in milkshakes.
Labour has said it is ready to process overseas asylum seekers and has launched plans to end NHS delays. In London, former party leader Jeremy Corbyn, who is now standing as an independent, is fighting to stop supporters defecting to Starmer.