Hamas is jumping for joy at Keir Starmer's latest move. But here's why he was right - Nigel Nelson

To simply return these people without French agreement could turn it into a tit-for-tat farce. How would we feel if the French loaded all the migrants we turned back onto a ferry and dropped them off in, say, Norfolk?

After all, we weren’t too keen to take back the cross-Channel migrants who made their way to Ireland and the principle is the same.

Similarly, conditional Palestinian recognition is not a simple solution to ending the starvation and killing in Gaza or bringing instant peace to the Middle East. But in fairness, Keir Starmer knows that.

Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu is hardly going to say, “oh, my gosh, thanks Keir for showing me the error of my ways”.

The reaction was predictable. Mr Netanyahu accused our PM of rewarding Hamas for the October 7 mass slaughter. Hamas jumped for joy.

The Tories accused Starmer of caving into his backbenchers. Though the condemnation he received from former hostage Emily Damari must have stung. Although this is largely a symbolic gesture, that does not make it a waste of time.

Symbolism need not be insignificant. Britain has historical skin in the game. General Edmund Allenby captured Jerusalem from the Turks in 1917, and we ruled Palestine from 1923-48.

That all became too difficult because of Jewish terrorism, with London bombed in 1947 and two innocent British army sergeants summarily hanged by Irgun freedom fighters.

So we washed our hands of the problem, threw in the towel, and handed the whole mess over to the United Nations.

Recognising Palestine as a state means joining 147 of 193 UN member nations who do - most recently Norway, Spain and Ireland and on Wednesday, Canada. It could help pave the way for full Palestinian UN membership rather than the impotent observer status it has now, and pressure Israel into stopping the building of illegal settlements on Palestinian land.

I had always thought these settlements were ramshackle shanty towns until I visited them. In reality, they are huge modern estates of fabulous houses with perfectly tended gardens - bordered at the back by high brick walls to protect against snipers. It was clear that those living there had no intention of leaving.

And joining France in formally recognising Palestine at September’s UN General Assembly meeting means four of the five permanent security council members would have done so, leaving the US as the outlier.

Given that the two-state solution is long-standing British foreign policy, recognition of the second state is not such a big leap.

That solution, though, is further off than it has ever been. If Palestine were a sovereign nation, it would have the right to its own standing army, which Israel could never allow following October 7.

The Palestine Liberation Organisation agreed to demilitarisation at the 1995 Oslo Accords, but Israel would take a lot of convincing that they would keep their word.

And the West Bank would need access to the Gaza seaport, which means transporting goods across 30 miles of Israeli land. Would the Israelis ever agree to that? Then there is Hamas.

Starmer and other world leaders have made it clear that it can have no part to play in an independent Palestine. Yet it would take a remarkable conjuring trick to make it disappear.

So, realistically, what Keir Starmer took this week was a baby step. But if it helps to save the lives of babies who would otherwise have died, it will be worth it.