Sir Keir Starmer is facing pressure to immediately recognise Palestinian statehood after France made a commitment to do so within months and a group of MPs called on the prime minister to do the same.

Labour and Lib Dem MPs on the foreign affairs committee argued that statehood is an “inalienable right” that should “not be made conditional”.

But their two Tory colleagues said it should only happen as part of a long-term political solution to the conflict in the Middle East, echoing the Labour government’s position.

Sir Keir is due to hold an emergency call with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz later today, amid warnings of mass starvation in Gaza.

In a statement on Thursday evening, condemning “unspeakable and indefensible” conditions in Gaza, Sir Keir said statehood was an “inalienable right”.

He reiterated his call for a ceasefire in the conflict, adding this would “put us on a path” towards recognising a Palestinian state.

He has previously said the UK should reserve recognition for when it would have the “greatest impact” – without specifying when this would be.

Most countries – about 139 in all – formally recognise a Palestinian state, although many European nations – and the United States – say they will only do so as part of moves towards a long-term resolution to the conflict.

Spain, Ireland and Norway formally took the step last year, hoping to exert diplomatic pressure to secure a ceasefire in Gaza.

At the United Nations (UN), representatives of Palestine currently have limited rights to participate in UN activity, and the territory is also recognised by various international organisations, including the Arab League.

Sceptics argue recognition would largely be a symbolic gesture unless questions over the leadership and extent of a Palestinian state are addressed first.

Speaking to the BBC on Tuesday, former UK Foreign Office boss Lord McDonald argued recognition itself “doesn’t really amount to very much,” adding that a Palestinian state lacked defined borders or an “agreed government”.

In their report, MPs on the foreign affairs committee acknowledged that the Israeli government “is not listening to the UK,” and was only “sporadically” listening to the United States, by far its most significant military backer.

The report urges the government to recognise Palestinian statehood “while there is still a state to recognise”.

“An inalienable right should not be made conditional,” the report adds.

“The government cannot continue to wait for the perfect time because experience shows that there will never be a perfect time.”

That section of the report was backed by all six Labour MPs who voted, including chairwoman Dame Emily Thornberry, and the two Liberal Democrats on the committee.

It was not endorsed by its two Conservative members, Aphra Brandreth and Sir John Whittingdale, who said the UK should only back the move as part of a wider two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

It is not unusual for select committees to be split on controversial issues but they will normally try to speak with one voice.

The Tory MPs on the foreign affairs committee made an unsuccessful attempt to change the report to reflect their views, arguing that recognition should accompany the release of hostages taken by Hamas in October 2023, and the creation of Palestinian authorities without Hamas supporters.

Around 60 MPs reportedly called for the UK to immediately recognise Palestinian statehood in a letter earlier this month, with London major Sir Sadiq Khan also making the call on Wednesday.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said recognising Palestinian statehood was a Labour manifesto commitment but added that it needed to “happen in way that would be empowering and that delivers the long-term peace Palestine needs”.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: “The UK should be leading on this, not falling behind.

“Recognise the independent state of Palestine now and take the lead on securing a two-state solution and a lasting peace.”

The MPs’ report comes after the UK and 27 other countries condemned the “drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians” seeking food and water in Gaza.

Israel’s foreign ministry rejected the countries’ statement, saying it was “disconnected from reality and sends the wrong message to Hamas”.

In the rest of their report, which was endorsed unanimously, the MPs called for a UN-led system to distribute aid in Gaza, replacing the controversial US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in place since May.

They also said the UK should justify how “allowing indirect exports” of British parts for F-35 fighter jets used by Israel complies with the UK’s obligations under international law.

The UK says it does not export the parts directly to Israel, but rather to manufacturing centres abroad as part of a global programme, and it cannot prevent Israel from obtaining the components.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting is promising to keep NHS services running as a five-day walkout by resident doctors gets underway in England.

He said the disruption would be kept to a minimum after NHS England ordered hospitals to only cancel treatments in exceptional circumstances.

In previous strikes, the focus has been on staffing emergency care but this time the NHS is striving to keep non-urgent services running. Senior doctors are covering resident doctors – the new term for junior doctors who are striking – for the 12th time in the pay dispute.

The British Medical Association warned that this risks stretching staff too thinly, saying ministers had every opportunity to stop the walkout.

Writing in the Times ahead of the strike, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer urged resident doctors not to follow their union down the “damaging road” of strike action.

Despite the efforts being put in by NHS leaders, he said the walkout would cause a “huge loss for the NHS and the country,” as he criticised the British Medical Association (BMA) for “rushing” into strikes.

Sir Keir said the walkouts threatened “to turn back the clock on progress we have made in rebuilding the NHS over the last year”.

Streeting said: “There is no getting around the fact that these strikes will hit the progress we are making on turning the NHS round.”

But he added: “I am determined to keep disruption to patients to a minimum.”

Members of the public have been urged to come forward for NHS care during the walkout, and are being asked to attend appointments unless told they are cancelled.

GP surgeries will open as usual, and urgent care and A&E will continue to be available, alongside NHS 111, NHS England said.

The strike is going ahead after talks between the government and BMA broke down on Tuesday.

Those talks were focused on non-pay issues, such as the cost of exam fees and career progression, after Streeting had said pay was not open to negotiation.

The BMA says, despite a 5.4% average pay rise this year following a 22% increase over the previous two years, pay is still down by a fifth since 2008, once inflation is taken into account.

During their first foundation year after finishing their medical degree resident doctors in England now earn a basic salary of £38,831, for an average of 48 hours worked per week. In the second year, this rises to £44,439. By the end of training salaries exceed £73,000.

Medics are often expected to work nightshifts, weekends and longer hours for extra payments. On average these top up their earnings by more than a quarter.

BMA resident doctor co-leaders Dr Melissa Ryan and Dr Ross Nieuwoudt said: “Resident doctors are not worth less than they were 17 years ago.

“Restoring pay remains the simplest and most effective route toward improving our working lives.

“Mr Streeting had every opportunity to prevent this strike going ahead, but he chose not to take it.”

Previous walkouts have led to mass cancellations, with more than one million appointments and treatments cancelled during resident doctor strikes which first began in March 2023.

Some hospitals were only able to deliver half their normal amount of routine care on strike days.

But NHS sources said, this time, some hospitals were planning full schedules after the new approach of prioritising both emergency and non-urgent care.

“We’ve learnt lessons from the past strikes – this one will feel very different,” they added.

Prof Meghana Pandit, a director at NHS England, said: “It’s really important to reduce cancellations, because people have been waiting, sometimes for months for their routine hip replacement or hysterectomy or any appointment, and actually rescheduling the appointments impacts on them and leads to physical and psychological harm.”

But she said it was inevitable there would still be some disruption, however she warned patients to still use the NHS if they need it.

While the majority of resident doctors work in hospitals, some GP practices and community services could also be affected. Resident doctors represent nearly half the medical workforce.

One of those who has been impacted is Hassnain Shahid, 32, from Bradford, whose three-year-old daughter has had her lung surgery on Monday cancelled.

She has a rare lung condition which means that if she catches a cough or cold she could be at serious risk.

“It’s been an emotional rollercoaster. It’s very frustrating,” said Hassnain.

The BMA, though, has warned the new approach could cause even greater problems and risk safety.

It has written to NHS England to say that staff who are working could be stretched too thinly. The union said it would be better to significantly reduce non-urgent care as has happened previously.

But Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents hospitals, said while hospitals were going to be trying to keep services running this would be done within “rigorous safety guidelines”.

She said the situation was complicated by the fact that doctors were not obliged to say whether they would be turning up or not.

“Nobody will know until they actually turn up for their shifts or not.”

Around two thirds of resident doctors are BMA members.

Conservative shadow health secretary Stuart Andrew said the strikes threatened to drag hospitals into chaos and leave patients “dangerously exposed”.

“Labour’s spineless surrender to union demands last year opened the door to this.

“They handed out inflation-busing pay rises without reform and now the BMA is back for more.”

But Rory Deighton, of the NHS Confederation, which represents frontline health managers, said: “The impact of these strikes and the distress they will cause patients rests with the BMA.”