‘It’s not about personalities’: Starmer welcomes Tony Blair’s involvement in Gaza peace deal

On Monday, the White House announced the 20-point peace plan aimed at ending the war between Israel and Hamas.

Nick Ferrari spoke to Sir Keir about the plan, with the PM insisting the UK is working with the US and some Arab states on the deal.

Ferrari pressed him on how he feels about Sir Tony's role in the interim body that will oversee the redevelopment of Gaza.

"I'm less concerned with the particularities of who does which bit," Sir Keir replied.

"If there's a chance of a deal, a set of arrangements, around which people can move forward so that we can get those hostages out, get that aid in and move towards a peaceful, lasting settlement in the Middle East, then I say it is our responsibility to lean into that and to try to get it to work."

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper also hailed the proposed deal on Tonight with Andrew Marr as a "really important" moment in peace negotiations - adding she backed Sir Tony having a role in the transitional peace board.

Nick probed him again whether he was comfortable with Sir Tony's involvement.

"Yes. Well, we're working with the US and with the Arab states, as you would expect on this.

"Again, it's not about the personalities.

We've nearly been in this place a number of times.It is really important now if there's a prospect of ending this fighting and getting those hostages out and getting that aid in, then we should lean into that and try and make it work."

Sir Keir also "completely rejected" the UK's recognition of Palestine last month was "rewarding terrorism".

"The two state solution that I believe in is a two state solution in which Hamas has absolutely no part, no part in governance. It is the opposite of what Hamas says.

"It's not rewarding Hamas, it's. It's writing them out of the future.

"They do not believe in a two state solution. This is the precise opposite of what Hamas says.

"They're a terrorist organisation and we need to be calling them out as that. But they should release the hostages and they should play no part in governing in Palestine in the future."

The peace plan states that, if both sides agree, there will be an immediate ceasefire, withdrawal of Israeli forces to "the agreed upon line", and the release of all the hostages, followed by the release of Palestinian prisoners and a surge of aid into Gaza.

Gaza will then be temporarily governed by a transitional committee of qualified Palestinian and international experts, with oversight from the interim body, referred to as the "Board of Peace", which will involve Sir Tony.

Sir Tony welcomed the plan as "the best chance of ending two years of war, misery and suffering".

Mr Trump said Israel would have the "full backing" of the US to take steps to defeat Hamas if it does not accept the proposed peace deal.

Speaking on Tonight with Andrew Marr, Yvette Cooper hailed the proposed deal as a "really important" moment in peace negotiations.

"I think this is a very serious plan. We strongly support the US initiative to get an end to the war and suffering in Gaza,” Ms Cooper told LBC.

However, Ms Cooper pointed out that “the plan set out by President Trump does include statehood for Palestine as part of it.”

She added: “The UK government has talked about a two-state solution, but only recognised one state. That's changed now.“We have made the historic decision to recognise the state of Palestine. And interestingly, I think it's that process around recognition is also what then helped to get the Arab League and Arab countries to then agree that Hamas must play no role in the future of Palestine or of Gaza. So these things have been part of contributing to where we've got to now. There is a long way to go, though."

The Foreign Secretary added that she was open to the prospect of former Prime Minister Tony Blair sitting on the proposed “Board of Peace”.

"He's somebody who's obviously been previously the Middle East envoy and also, as you'll know, had a lot of work experience in the Good Friday Agreement as well. But we are expecting it to also involve other leaders and ex-leaders as part of it," Ms Cooper said.

Under Mr Trump’s plan, the so-called Board of Peace will set the framework and handle the funding for the redevelopment of Gaza until the Palestinian Authority has undergone sufficient reform that it can take over.

Sir Tony, who took the UK into the Iraq War in 2003, served as Middle East envoy for the quartet of international powers – the US, the EU, Russia and the UN – after leaving office.