45 MPs and Peers insist Starmer must apologise for UK colonial actions in Palestine

Forty-five MPs and peers have backed an open letter calling for Keir Starmer to formally apologise for Britain’s actions in colonial Palestine between 1917 and 1948.

The letter, drafted by leading human rights KCs Ben Emmerson and Danny Friedman, begins by stating:”In 1947 Britain gave away Palestine, a land we had no right to give, even under the laws of the time.”

It accuses Britain of failingto recognise Arab self-determination, lacking proper legal authority for the Balfour Declaration and for the subsequent Mandate, and committed war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Signatories include Layla Moran MP, Labour MPs Richard Burgon, John McDonnell and Graham Leadbitter, the Greens deputy leader Mothin Ali, and Ismail Patel, chair of the Friends of Al-Aqsa group, alongside peers Lord Hendy KC, Baroness Sheehan and Stephen Flynn.

The letter claims that while the Starmer government’s recognition of Palestine last year was progress, “recognition alone is not sufficient. ”

It states:”An apology wouldn’t solve the conflict, but is an initial first step to Britain making peace with its own past. Britain can play a truly unique role in future peace talks and reconstruction, strengthening our hand in resolving this crisis.”

The letter continues:”Keir Starmer should apologise so we can move towards healing this open wound. ”

It quotes a 91-year-old Palestinian philanthropist, Munib Al-Masri, as lead petitioner, who says: “I was a child when I was shot by British soldiers, and I still carry that memory — and shrapnel — in my body. But my story is just one among thousands.

“What Britain did in Palestine did not end when it left in 1948. The policies and violence of that period contributed to the conditions that led to the calamity we are experiencing today. An official apology is about recognising that history and the harm it continues to cause.”

Among those to sign the letter is Liberal Democrat MP Moran, who says:”During its occupation of Palestine, Britain violated a series of international laws that were binding at the time. The consequences of those actions have profoundly shaped the conflict we witness today, yet successive governments have refused to acknowledge this record or offer a formal apology.

“As the first British MP of Palestinian descent, this history is deeply personal to me. My great-grandfather’s memoirs vividly document daily life under the British Mandate and lay bare the reality of violence and displacement that Palestinians endured under British rule.

“If Britain is serious about promoting peace in Gaza today, it must begin by confronting its historical role, recognising the harm caused, and taking meaningful responsibility for it.”

It is said to draw from a 400-page legal petition submitted in September 2025 by the Britain Owes Palestine campaign.

The organisers say the Government has been given until September  to respond, and that failure to do so “may result in judicial review proceedings.  ”

The UK recognised a Palestinian state in September in an attempt to put pressure on Israel to commit itself to a ceasefire in Gaza.

A ceasefire followed in October, but the prime minister was criticised by the Conservatives for giving Hamas a “reward for terrorism”.

Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, said recognition would have “no impact whatsoever” in bringing about a two-state solution.