Keir Starmer has been offered a seat on the Gaza “peace board” established by Donald Trump as part of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. The prime minister was asked to join by a senior member of the Trump administration, and is expected to accept, though no formal invitation has yet been received. Discussions about the board's exact composition are ongoing.
The board is expected to temporarily oversee the running of Gaza and manage its reconstruction, comprising world leaders. US media reports suggest Trump could announce its membership as early as this week. Trump, who will chair the board, said on Sunday that it would include “the most important leaders of the most important nations”.
Tony Blair was initially expected to be a member but was quietly dropped after objections from some Middle Eastern nations, who view him with scepticism over his role in the 2003 Iraq invasion. Instead, Blair is expected to join a separate executive board alongside Trump's advisers, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff.
In the Commons on Tuesday, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper was asked whether Starmer had joined the peace board. She replied: “We supported the 20-point plan to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza. That is still fragile and there’s still a huge amount of work to do, including humanitarian surge and support, and including the decommissioning of weapons from Hamas.”
Starmer has defended his frequent overseas trips, telling Labour MPs on Monday night that international negotiations on trade and defence were essential to addressing the domestic cost of living, adding that such issues would not be solved by isolationism.
