Keir Starmer Says He Will Back Calls For Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Once Hostages Are Free

Keir Starmer delivers a speech on the situation in the Middle East at Chatham House in central London. Keir Starmer has said he will back calls for a ceasefire in the Middle East conflict once Israeli hostages are released and Hamas can no longer mount terror attacks.In a major speech this morning, the Labour leader repeatedly said he did not back calls - including from many of his own frontbenchers - for an end to hostilities “now”.But he told an audience at Chatham House in London that he would be willing to change his stance in the future.He said: “Over time, the facts on the ground will inevitably change in relation to both hostages being rescued and Hamas’s capability to carry out attacks like we saw on October 7.“And we must move to cessation of fighting as quickly as possible because the reality is that neither the long-term security of Israel nor long-term justice for Palestine can be delivered by bombs and bullets.“Open-ended military action, action without a clear and desired