LORDS were branded “absurd and grotesque” after claiming that recognising Palestinian statehood would breach international law today.

Some 38 peers wrote to Attorney General Lord Hermer saying Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s conditional pledge to do so in September may breach international law.

They argued that the territory may not meet the criteria for statehood under the Montevideo Convention, a treaty signed in 1933.

A spokesman for Momentum said: “It is absurd and grotesque for supporters of Israel to suggest that the Montevideo Convention, to which Britain is not a signatory, carries more legal weight than the obligation to prevent genocide under the Genocide Convention, to which Britain is.

“The UK must continue on its quest to recognise a Palestinian state and stop treating Israel as an ally.”

Asked whether recognising Palestine is compliant with international law, business minister Gareth Thomas told Times Radio: “Yes, we believe it is.

“In the end, recognition of another state is a political judgement and over 140 countries have already recognised Palestine, and we’re determined to do so in September if Israel does not end the violence in Gaza, agree to a ceasefire and to a lasting route towards a two-state solution, and to no annexation in the West Bank.”

In their letter to Lord Hermer, the peers said that Palestine “does not meet the international law criteria for recognition of a state, namely: defined territory, a permanent population, an effective government and the capacity to enter into relations with other states.”

There is no certainty over the borders of Palestine, they said, and no single government, as Hamas and Fatah are enemies.

Mr Thomas told Times Radio there is a “clear population” in Palestine and added: “We have made clear that we think you would recognise the state of Palestine, and that state of Palestine would be based on the 1967 borders.”

Palestine Solidarity Campaign director Ben Jamal said: “The peers who have signed this letter include many with direct connections to the controversial body UK Lawyers for Israel, which has come under heavy criticism for its egregious attempts to twist the law to shield Israel from accountability and to deny the realities of its violations of international law.

“It shames the legal system in this country that they are not held to account by the relevant legal bodies for their clear violations of any standard of legal ethics.”