A Bill to make provision in connection with the recognition of the State of Palestine.
House of Lords
17 March 2025
May contain errors — check source documents for definitive information.
This Lords Bill would require the UK Government to recognise the State of Palestine as a sovereign state based on the 1967 borders and the Palestinian right to self-determination, in line with UN General Assembly resolution 76/10. It would upgrade the Palestine Mission in London to a full diplomatic mission with Vienna Convention privileges and immunities, and the Foreign Secretary would report to Parliament within two months on steps taken. If enacted, it would apply across the UK and take effect on passage, and it would be known as the Palestine Statehood (Recognition) Act 2024.
The Bill has had its first reading in the Lords (13 September 2024) and is at Committee stage, with a second reading scheduled for 14 March 2025. A Lords Select Committee report published 15 October 2024 discusses other Bills and notes concerns about them; it does not indicate amendments to this Palestine Bill.
Generated 21 February 2026
13 Sept 2024
14 Mar 2025
Second reading - the general debate on all aspects of the bill - took place on 14 March.
What happens next?
Committee stage - line by line examination of the bill - is yet to be scheduled.
The Committee highlights two main concerns. First, the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill contains wide powers (sections 30A/30B and the repeal power in 30A(4)) that could allow continuing private franchising and repeal of those provisions by regulation; it calls for ministerial clarification and, if the repeal power isn’t tightly limited, an affirmative (parliamentary) procedure. Second, the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill relies on skeleton clauses (Clauses 1–3, 9 and 5–6, 9) that would leave almost all substantive regulation to ministers via regulations, with little justification, consultation or detail; the Committee says these powers are inappropriate and should be removed or properly justified.
The Bill would require the UK Government to recognise Palestine as a sovereign state on the basis of the pre-1967 borders and the Palestinian right to self-determination, in line with UN General Assembly resolution 76/10 (2021). It would upgrade the Palestine Mission in London to a full diplomatic mission with all privileges and immunities under the Vienna Convention (as read with the Diplomatic Privileges Act 1964). The Secretary of State must report to Parliament within two months detailing steps taken, the Act would apply across the UK, come into force on passage, and be cited as the Palestine Statehood (Recognition) Act 2024.
No recorded votes for this bill yet.
