Keir Starmer has been offered a place on the Gaza “peace board” set up by Donald Trump as part of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, it has emerged. The prime minister was asked to sit on the board by a senior member of the Trump administration, and is expected to accept, although no formal invitation has been received yet.
The board is expected to temporarily oversee the running of Gaza and manage its reconstruction, with membership drawn from world leaders. US media reports suggest Trump could announce its composition as early as this week. Speaking to reporters onboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said the board was in the process of being formed and there was strong international interest in involvement.
Tony Blair was initially expected to be on the board, which will be chaired by Trump himself. However, the former Labour prime minister was quietly dropped from consideration after some Middle Eastern nations objected to his involvement, given his role in the 2003 Iraq war. 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 board. She said the government supported the 20-point plan to achieve a ceasefire, adding that it remained fragile and that “a huge amount of work” was still required, including humanitarian support and decommissioning weapons from Hamas.
Starmer has defended his frequent overseas trips, telling Labour MPs on Monday night that isolationism would not solve the cost of living crisis. He said it was essential for him to be “in the room” for international negotiations on trade and defence, which would then have a direct impact on the domestic economy.
