U.K

LONDON — He won’t call himself a duke anymore, but that is not enough for many of Prince Andrew’s critics.

Buckingham Palace and the British government were under pressure Monday to formally strip Prince Andrew of his princely title and sumptuous home after new revelations about his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

After discussions with his elder brother King Charles III, Andrew agreed on Friday to stop using titles including Duke of York. It was the latest effort to insulate the monarchy from years of tawdry headlines about Andrew’s suspicious business deals, inappropriate behavior and controversial friendships.

But he still technically holds the title of duke, bestowed by his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II. And as the son of a monarch, he remains a prince.

Andrew’s statement relinquishing some of his royal titles came after emails emerged showing he had remained in contact with Epstein longer than he previously admitted, and days before publication of a posthumous memoir by Epstein accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who alleged she had sex with Andrew when she was 17.

Giuffre’s brother, Sky Roberts, urged the king to go further and “remove the title of prince, too.

“He shouldn’t be able to call himself one,” Roberts told The Times of London newspaper.

Civil suit

Andrew, 65, has long denied Giuffre’s claims, but stepped down from royal duties after a disastrous November 2019 BBC interview in which he attempted to rebut her allegations.

Many viewers saw an entitled prince who failed to show empathy for Epstein’s victims and offered unbelievable explanations for his friendship with the late sex offender.

Andrew paid millions in an out-of-court settlement in 2022 after Giuffre filed a civil suit against him in New York.

While he didn’t admit wrongdoing, he acknowledged Giuffre’s suffering as a victim of sex trafficking.

‘Angry and aghast’

Some opposition politicians said Andrew should formally be stripped of his dukedom through an act of Parliament.

Scottish National Party lawmaker Stephen Flynn said the government should use legislation to remove titles from both Andrew and Peter Mandelson, a member of the House of Lords who was fired as British ambassador to Washington in September over his past friendship with Epstein.

“The family of Virginia Giuffre, whose life was destroyed, are angry and aghast,” Flynn said. “The public across these isles are angry and aghast and they both deserve to know that some (members of Parliament) share their outrage.”

The government said it supported the palace’s decision over Andrew’s titles but should not act unilaterally. Under the U.K.’s constitutional monarchy, the crown does not interfere in politics and politicians stay clear of issues related to the royal family.

“Our thoughts have to be with the victims of Jeffrey Epstein, those who suffered and continue to suffer because of the abuse that they experienced at his hands, but these are matters for the royal family,” Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson told the BBC.

Some also want Andrew evicted from Royal Lodge, the 30-room mansion near Windsor Castle where he lives alongside his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, who will no longer be known as the Duchess of York.

Questions have been raised about how Andrew pays for the house, which he rents on a long lease from the Crown Estate, a portfolio of properties that is nominally owned, but not controlled, by the monarch.

Royals brace for more revelations

The palace is bracing for more embarrassing revelations, just as the king prepares for a state visit to the Vatican this week where he is due to pray beside Pope Leo XIV.

Giuffre’s book, “Nobody’s Girl,” is published on Tuesday and details three alleged sexual encounters with Andrew. She died by suicide in April at the age of 41.

In an extract published in advance, Giuffre says the prince acted as if he believed “having sex with me was his birthright.”

Giuffre also claims in the book that Andrew’s team tried “to hire internet trolls to hassle me.” She said that Andrew insisted the lawsuit settlement include a one-year gag order to prevent allegations from tarnishing the late queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022.

Meanwhile, London’s Metropolitan Police force says it is “actively looking into” media reports that Andrew in 2011 sought information to smear Giuffre by asking one of his police bodyguards to find out whether she had a criminal record.

Lawless writes for the Associated Press.

Oct. 14 (UPI) — Britain and the United States announced Tuesday that they have together sanctioned a transnational scam organization operating out of Cambodia.

The U.S. Department of Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control announced it has imposed sweeping sanctions on 146 targets within the Prince Group transnational criminal organization, a Cambodia-based network led by Cambodian national Chen Zhi that operates a global criminal empire through online investment scams.

It also announced that the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network has finalized a rule under the USA Patriot Act to sever the Cambodia-based financial services conglomerate Huione Group from the U.S. financial system. “For years, Huione Group has laundered proceeds of virtual currency scams and heists on behalf of malicious cyber actors,” the press release said.

Covered financial institutions are now banned from opening or maintaining accounts for Huione Group, the Treasury Department said.

“The rapid rise of transnational fraud has cost American citizens billions of dollars, with life savings wiped out in minutes,” said Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent in a statement. “Treasury is taking action to protect Americans by cracking down on foreign scammers. Working in close coordination with federal law enforcement and international partners like the United Kingdom, Treasury will continue to lead efforts to safeguard Americans from predatory criminals.”

In the U.K., a $16 million mansion owned by the Prince Group has been frozen by the government. Chen Zhi and his network have invested in the London property market, including the mansion, a $133 million office building and 17 apartments in the city. The freeze blocks them from profiting from these buildings.

The organization’s scam centers in Cambodia, Myanmar and other parts of Southeast Asia use fake job ads to lure foreign nationals to compounds or abandoned casinos where they are forced to carry out online fraud or face torture, the British press release said.

The scams often involve building online relationships to convince targets to invest increasingly large sums of money into fraudulent cryptocurrency schemes.

“These sanctions prove our determination to stop those who profit from this activity, hold offenders accountable, and keep dirty money out of the U.K.,” said Fraud Minister David Hanson in a statement. “Through our new, expanded fraud strategy and the upcoming Global Fraud Summit, we will go even further to disrupt corrupt networks and protect the public from shameless criminals.”

South Korea has faced a surge of kidnappings of its citizens in Cambodia. As of August, at least 330 cases were reported, according to data submitted to the National Assembly.

In June, Amnesty International said the Cambodian government has been “deliberately ignoring” human rights abuses including slavery, human trafficking, child labor and torture by gangs. It estimated that there were at least 53 scamming compounds in Cambodia.

In September, the Treasury Department sanctioned scam centers across Southeast Asia that the agency said stole $10 billion in 2024 from Americans via forced labor and violence.

Oct. 7 (UPI) — The European Union has announced it will match President Donald Trump‘s tariffs on steel, causing the United Kingdom’s steel industry to quake.

The new tariffs would cause a crisis in the U.K. steel industry, as 80% of British exports are to the EU, according to a lobbying group representing the sector. Unions said the tariffs could kill the industry, The Guardian reported.

The European Commission’s plan would sharply cut the amount of steel that can be imported to the EU without tariffs to 18.3 million tons a year, an almost 50% drop, and would almost double the tariff rate to 50%.

The EU’s goal is to cut down on global overcapacity, which brings cheap steel from China and hurts steel jobs in Europe, the New York Times reported. It is also a reaction to Trump’s tariffs on EU steel, which could increase the likelihood that global producers will send their steel to Europe, flooding the market.

“Global overcapacity is damaging our industry,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement.

“We have global overcapacity, unfair competition, state aid, and undercutting in prices, and we are reacting to that,” Stéphane Séjourné, the European Commission’s executive vice president for prosperity and industrial strategy, said at a news conference at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. “Eighteen thousand jobs were lost in the steel sector in 2024. That’s too many, and we had to put a stop to that.

“The European steel industry was on the verge of collapse — we are protecting it so that it can invest, decarbonize, and become competitive again,” Séjourné said.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer told reporters during a flight to India that officials were in discussions with the EU about the tariffs, according to The Guardian.

“In relation to the question of tariffs or other measures, as you’d expect, we are in discussions with the EU about this, as we’re in discussions with the U.S. about it,” Starmer said. “So I’ll be able to tell you more in due course, but we are in discussions as you’d expect.”

The U.K. government took control of Chinese-owned plants in Scunthorpe, England, earlier this year, while Liberty Steel plants in Rotherham and Stocksbridge, England, fell into government control last month.

U.K. industry minister Chris McDonald said it was “vital” to “protect trade flows between the U.K. and EU” and that he would meet with industry leaders on Thursday. He said he was “pushing the European Commission for urgent clarification of the impact of this move on the U.K.”

Charlotte Brumpton-Childs, U.K. national officer with the GMB trade union, called the tariffs a “hammer blow” that “could end steelmaking in the U.K. if safeguards aren’t secured,” according to The Guardian.

Irish Foreign Minister Simon Harris (pictured in Washington, D.C., in October 2024) called Friday’s agreements between the U.K. and Irish governments a “night and day” improvement over the 2023 Legacy Act, which granted amnesty to British military veterans for killings during The Troubles. File Photo by Ron Sachs/UPI | License Photo

Sept. 19 (UPI) — The U.K. government will replace its controversial Northern Ireland Legacy and Reconciliation Act of 2023 with new laws to address killings that occurred during The Troubles era.

Representatives of the U.K. and Irish governments on Friday reached agreements on several proposals that are intended to address losses suffered by Irish families, the BBC reported.

Among points of contention is the 2023 Legacy Act that was approved by the U.K. government and provides amnesty for British military veterans for killings that occurred during The Troubles era.

A new commission and a dedicated unit within the Irish police force will investigate killings that occurred during The Troubles era in Northern Ireland to resolve decades-old cases.

Irish Foreign Minister Simon Harris called Friday’s agreements a “night and day improvement” over the Legacy Act, The Guardian reported.

Harris is among Irish officials who are to make public the agreements and other proposals to address The Troubles and related killings.

The agreements reached on Friday will not end an active interstate case filed by the Irish government in the wake of the Legacy Act’s approval in 2023.

Some British military leaders criticized the agreements for making elderly veterans vulnerable to potential prosecution.

Meanwhile, Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said the agreements must be “victim-centered” and comply with human rights law to be accepted, according to the BBC.

The Troubles era refers to centuries-old conflicts in Northern Ireland that culminated in a 30-year conflict from the late 1960s until the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, according to the Imperial War Museums.

The agreement ended fighting that pitted the British military and many Protestants in Northern Ireland against the Irish Republican Army, other paramilitary forces and many Irish Catholics, who wanted to establish an independent Irish state.

The Troubles included many bombings and street fighting that caused the deaths of thousands of Irish civilians until the 1998 cease-fire agreement.

The conflict had its roots in the early 17th century, when Protestants from Scotland and northern England first settled in what would become Northern Ireland.

Sept. 18 (UPI) — Major U.S. companies are set to invest a record $205 billion in Britain over the next decade, creating thousands of jobs across the four countries of the United Kingdom, the government said in an announcement timed to coincide with U.S. President Donald Trump‘s state visit.

Investment giant Blackstone will put in the bulk of the money, about $123 billion, along with $46 billion from Microsoft, NVIDIA and Google into AI projects and data centers, according to a Business Department news release.

Prologis will pump another $5.3 billion into the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, as well as investments to support life sciences, advanced manufacturing and rail infrastructure, while tech company Palantir is set to invest $2 billion.

Hailing what he said was the largest commercial package ever secured during a State Visit, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the deals were a “testament to Britain’s economic strength and a bold signal that our country is open, ambitious, and ready to lead.”

“When we back British brilliance, champion our world-class industries, and forge deeper global alliances — especially with friends like the United States — we help shape the future for generations to come and make people across the country better off,” Starmer said. “Jobs, growth and opportunity is what I promised for working people, and it’s exactly what this State Visit is delivering.”

Prologis U.K. regional head Paul Weston said the move demonstrated the firm’s determination to support innovation and deliver the sustainable infrastructure base critical to the U.K.’s long-term economic growth. 

“Our investment ambitions for the expansion of Cambridge Biomedical Campus and Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal are backing two of the U.K.’s most critical sectors: life sciences and logistics,” said Weston.

However, the money will not all be flowing in one direction.

British firms are set to invest upwards of $73 billion in the United States over the next five years, led by pharma-giant GSK and BP, plus tech, banks and insurers.

U.K. public sector contracts with U.S. companies, mostly in the spheres of tech and defense, helping run critical services such as the National Health Service and weather forecasting, will add another $60 billion to that figure.

Meanwhile, the state visit by Trump, credited with oiling all the deals, culminated Wednesday night with a grand state banquet in his honor in Windsor Castle’s St. George’s Hall attended by 160 guests at which he was seated with King Charles on one side and Catherine, Princess of Wales, on the other.

In speeches, the king and Trump spoke at length about the special U.K.-U.S. relationship with Charles highlighting the shared history of the two nations fighting alongside each other in two world wars and praising Trump’s dedication to “finding solutions to some of the world’s most intractable conflicts.”

“Our people have fought and died together for the values we hold dear,” said the King.

Trump said “special” didn’t even come close.

“I have such respect for you and such respect for your country for many decades. The word special does not begin to do it justice,” he said, addressing the king.

The visit was set to continue Thursday with Trump traveling to Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s country residence in Buckinghamshire for bilateral talks and a summit with business leaders, while First Lady Melania Trump will remain at Windsor Castle to attend events with Queen Camilla and Princess Kate.

Sept. 13 (UPI) — More than 100,000 Britons who are frustrated with the United Kingdom’s immigration policies marched in central London during a Saturday afternoon and evening event billed as “Unite the Kingdom.”

The event was organized by Stephen Yaxley-Lennon aka Tommy Robinson and included a video address from Elon Musk.

Musk, 54, accused the U.K. government of not protecting “innocent people, including children who are getting gang-raped,” The Times reported.

“There’s this genuine risk of rape and murder and the destruction of the country and the dissolution of the entire way of life,” Musk told the protesters.

“If you weren’t under a massive attack, then people should go about their business and live their lives, but unfortunately, if the fight comes to you, you don’t have a choice,” he continued.

“Whether you choose violence or not, violence is coming to you,” Musk added. “You either fight back or you die.”

An estimated 110,000 people participated in the protest march from Waterloo Bridge to Whitehall and at times clashed with police, 26 of whom were injured when pelted with bottles and other projectiles, according to The BBC.

Four officers suffered serious injuries, and at least 25 people were arrested for what London’s Metropolitan Police called “wholly unacceptable” violence.

The Metro Police deployed 1,000 officers, who were assisted by 500 others from nearby jurisdictions.

“There is no doubt that many came here to exercise their lawful right to protect, but there were many who came intent on violence,” Matt Twist, assistant commissioner of the London Metropolitan Police, told the BBC.

A counter-protest called “Stand Up to Racism” drew about 5,000 participants and was organized by Women Against the Far Right, The Guardian reported.

Those protesters carried placards saying, “Refugees Welcome” and “Oppose Tommy Robinson,” among others.

Aug. 29 (UPI) — A hotel in Epping Forest, England, can keep housing asylum seekers, an appeals court said Friday, overturning a lower court’s injunction.

The Bell Hotel in Epping Forest is housing about 140 migrants who seek asylum in the country, and the local council sought an injunction against them staying there after a 14-year-old girl was sexually assaulted and a man living in the hotel was accused of the attack.

Protests near the hotel turned violent in July when they were hijacked by supporters of the far-right after asylum seeker Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, a resident of the hotel, was charged in July with sexual assault against a 14-year-old girl.

Riot police, with helicopter backup, clashed with protesters in residential neighborhoods and at least 34 people were arrested, police officers injured and vehicles damaged.

On Aug. 20, Justice Stephen Eyre granted an injunction that would force the men out of the hotel, which is being funded by the British government. The injunction would have taken effect on Sept. 12.

Justices David Bean, Nicola Davies and Stephen Cobb said, “If an outbreak of protests enhances the case for a planning injunction, this runs the risk of acting as an impetus or incentive for further protests — some of which may be disorderly — around asylum accommodation. At its worst, if even unlawful protests are to be treated as relevant, there is a risk of encouraging further lawlessness. The [lower court] judge’s approach ignores the obvious consequence that the closure of one site means capacity needs to be identified elsewhere in the system.”

After the decision, the Home Office Minister Angela Eagle said the housing of asylum-seekers in hotels will end.

“We inherited a chaotic asylum accommodation system costing billions,” The Guardian reported Eagle said. “This government will close all hotels by the end of this parliament, and we appealed this judgment so hotels like the Bell can be exited in a controlled and orderly way that avoids the chaos of recent years that saw 400 hotels open at a cost of [$12 million] a day.”

Kebatu is on remand [in pre-trial detention]. He denies the offenses he is charged with, which were alleged to have taken place just eight days after his arrival in the country, from Ethiopia via France, on a small boat. His trial is set to begin in the coming days.

Mohammed Sharwarq, a Syrian asylum seeker also living at the hotel, is facing seven unrelated charges and authorities have charged several other men over alleged involvement in unrest outside the Bell Hotel.

Lisa Foster, a lawyer representing Somani Hotels, which owns the Bell Hotel, said they are “pleased” with the ruling.

She added that the owners ask the public to “understand that the Bell Hotel has simply been providing a contracted service that the government requires.”

LONDON — British Foreign Secretary David Lammy went fishing with U.S. Vice President JD Vance earlier this month and the closest thing he came to catching was a whopping fine.

Lammy was given a written warning for fishing without a license, an Environment Agency spokesperson said Friday.

As far as breaking the law goes, it was pretty small fry but could have netted him a fine of up to 2,500 pounds ($3,380) for the offense.

Lammy, whose spokesperson described it all as an “administrative oversight,” purchased a license after-the-fact and reported himself to the agency.

Lammy hosted Vance and his family, who were vacationing in England, at his country estate south of London on Aug. 8. The two men smiled and laughed as Vance provided what Lammy called Kentucky-style fishing tips.

Apparently, the pointers didn’t help Lammy land a fish.

“The one strain on the special relationship is that all of my kids caught fish, but the foreign secretary did not,” Vance later said.

The Environment Agency would not comment on whether Vance had a license, citing data protection rules. The vice president’s spokesperson did not immediately reply to an email from the Associated Press seeking comment.

The agency said it confirmed that Lammy was given a warning because he had publicized it. In England and Wales, anyone over 13 needs a license for freshwater fishing, the agency said.

In most cases, inexperienced anglers caught without a permit are given warnings — so in that sense, Lammy apparently had some beginner’s luck.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian Presidential Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak, from left to right, meet on Saturday at Chevening House in Kent, England, along with representatives from France, Germany, Italy, Finland and Poland to discuss a route to peace in Ukraine. Photo via UK Foreign Secretary/UPI | License Photo

Aug. 9 (UPI) — U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy and U.S. Vice President JD Vance met with Ukrainian officials and others to discuss ending the war when Russia attacked its neighbor in February 2022.

Ukraine Presidential Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak and Ukraine Defense Secretary Rustem Umerov joined Lammy and Vance on Saturday to discuss matters in Ukraine and its defensive war with Russia.

“The U.K.’s support for Ukraine remains ironclad as we continue working toward a just and lasting peace,” Lammy said Saturday in a post on X.

The meeting occurred at Lammy’s official residence in Kent, England, where Vance is staying with his family through the weekend.

Yermak and Umerov were invited to join Lammy and Vance on short notice and ahead of Friday’s scheduled summit between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also might join the meeting with Trump and Putin, but he has not been invited as of Saturday evening.

Officials from the European Union, Finland, France, Germany, Italy and NATO also attended Saturday’s meeting at Lammy’s official residence, the BBC reported.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer did not join the meeting, but he talked with Zelensky by phone before it occurred.

Starmer and Zelensky agreed the meeting at Lammy’s residence is an important prelude to Friday’s scheduled summit in Alaska, Starmer’s office said in a news release.

Zelensky afterward told Ukrainians Putin is the only one standing in the way of ending the war.

“His only card is the ability to kill, and he is trying to sell the cessation of killings at the highest possible price,” Zelensky said during a national address.

He also dismissed the notion of a cease-fire instead of ending the war.

“What is needed is not a pause in the killings but a real, lasting peace,” Zelensky said.

He said Trump supports an immediate cessation of hostilities and said the United States has the “leverage and determination” to make it happen via sanctions against Russia.

Putin “fears sanctions and is doing everything to bail on them,” Zelensky said.

“He wants to exchange a pause in the war, in the killings, for the legalization of the occupation of our land,” Zelensky told Ukrainians.

“We will not allow this second attempt to partition Ukraine.”

KIGALI, Rwanda — Rwanda on Tuesday became the third African nation to agree to accept deportees from the United States under the Trump administration’s plans to send migrants to countries they have no ties with to get them off American soil.

Rwandan government spokesperson Yolande Makolo told The Associated Press in a statement that the East African country would accept up to 250 deportees from the U.S., with “the ability to approve each individual proposed for resettlement” under the agreement.

Makolo didn’t provide a timeline for any deportees to arrive in Rwanda or say if they would arrive at once or in several batches. She said details were still being worked out.

The U.S. sent 13 men it described as dangerous criminals who were in the U.S. illegally to South Sudan and Eswatini in Africa last month and has said it is seeking more agreements with African nations. It said those deportees’ home countries refused to take them back.

The U.S. has also deported hundreds of Venezuelans and others to Costa Rica, El Salvador and Panama under President Trump’s plans to expel people who he says entered the U.S. illegally and are “the worst of the worst.”

Rwanda attracted international attention and some outrage when it struck a deal in 2022 with the U.K. to accept migrants who had arrived in the U.K. to seek asylum. Under that proposed deal, their claims would have been processed in Rwanda and, if successful, they would have stayed there.

The contentious agreement was criticized by rights groups and others as being unethical and unworkable and was ultimately scrapped when Britain’s new Labour government took over. Britain’s Supreme Court ruled in 2023 that the deal was unlawful because Rwanda was not a safe third country for migrants.

The Trump administration has come under scrutiny for the African countries it has entered into secretive deals with to take deportees. It sent eight men from South Sudan, Cuba, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar and Vietnam to South Sudan in early July after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling cleared the way for their deportations.

They were held for weeks in a converted shipping container at an American military base in Djibouti as the legal battle over their deportations played out. South Sudan, which is tipping toward civil war, has declined to say where the men are being held or what their fate is.

The U.S. also deported five men who are citizens of Vietnam, Jamaica, Cuba, Yemen and Laos to the southern African kingdom of Eswatini, where the government said they will be held in solitary confinement in prison for an undetermined period of time.

A human rights lawyer in Eswatini said the men are being denied access to legal representation there and has taken authorities to court. Eswatini is Africa’s last absolute monarchy, and the king rules over government and political parties are effectively banned.

Both South Sudan and Eswatini have declined to give details of their agreements with the U.S.

Rwanda, a relatively small country of some 15 million people, has long stood out on the continent for its recovery from a genocide that killed over 800,000 people in 1994. It has promoted itself under longtime President Paul Kagame as an example of stability and development, but human rights groups allege there are also deadly crackdowns on any perceived dissent against Kagame, who has been president for 25 years.

Government spokesperson Makolo said the agreement with the U.S. was Rwanda doing its part to help with international migration issues because “our societal values are founded on reintegration and rehabilitation.”

“Those approved (for resettlement in Rwanda) will be provided with workforce training, healthcare, and accommodation support to jumpstart their lives in Rwanda, giving them the opportunity to contribute to one of the fastest-growing economies in the world over the last decade,” she said. There were no details about whether Rwanda had received anything in return for taking the deportees.

Gonzaga Muganwa, a Rwandan political analyst, said “appeasing President Trump pays.”

“This agreement enhances Rwanda’s strategic interest of having good relationships with the Trump administration,” he said.

The U.K. government estimated that its failed migration deal with Rwanda cost around $900 million in public money, including approximately $300 million in payments to Rwanda, which said it was not obligated to refund the money when the agreement fell apart.

Ssuuna and Imray write for the Associated Press. Imray reported from Cape Town, South Africa.

July 29 (UPI) — U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Tuesday said the United Kingdom will recognize a Palestinian state if Israel does not agree to a cease-fire in Gaza by September.

Starmer said the Israeli government must take “substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza” by agreeing to a cease-fire and committing to a lasting peace, the BBC reported.

The United Kingdom will announce its recognition of a Palestinian state before the U.N. General Assembly, which is scheduled to start on Sept. 9, Starmer said in his ultimatum.

“Ultimately, the only way to bring this humanitarian crisis to an end is through a long-term settlement,” Starmer told media.

“Our goal remains a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state,” he added, “but, right now, that goal is under pressure like never before.”

Starmer told reporters he always has supported recognizing a Palestinian state as a way to contribute to a lasting peace.

“We demand an immediate cease-fire to stop the slaughter, that the U.N. be allowed to send humanitarian assistance into Gaza on a continuing basis to prevent starvation and the immediate release of the hostages,” Starmer said in a prepared statement on Tuesday.

Starmer did not say where the Palestinian state would be located or what incentive Hamas would have to agree to a cease-fire if continued hostilities would cause the United Kingdom to recognize such a state.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday announced that France will announce its recognition of a Palestinian state during September’s U.N. conference.

Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected Starmer’s statement, which it said endangers a viable cease-fire in Gaza.

“The shift in the British government’s position at this time, following the French move and internal political pressures, constitutes a reward for Hamas and harms efforts to achieve a cease-fire in Gaza and a framework for the release of hostages,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Tuesday.

The Hamas-run Gaza Health ministry has reported more than 60,000 deaths of Gazans following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israeli civilians that killed about 1,200 and kidnapped about 250 others.

Hamas continues holding 50 hostages, including 28 that Israel and others say likely are dead.

U.N. reports indicate Gaza is undergoing a “worst-case scenario of famine” after Israel temporarily halted aid shipments to Gaza from March to mid-May.

Starmer did not respond to a UPI request for comment on the matter.

PILTON, England — Irish-language rap group Kneecap gave an impassioned performance for tens of thousands of fans on Saturday at the Glastonbury Festival despite criticism by British politicians and a terrorism charge against one of the trio.

Liam Og O hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, has been charged under the Terrorism Act with supporting a proscribed organization for allegedly waving a Hezbollah flag at a concert in London in November. The rapper, who was charged under the anglicized version of his name, Liam O’Hanna, is on unconditional bail before a further court hearing in August.

“Glastonbury, I’m a free man!” O hAnnaidh shouted as Kneecap took the stage at Glastonbury’s West Holts field, which holds about 30,000 people. Dozens of Palestinian flags flew in the capacity crowd as the show opened with an audio montage of news clips referring to the band’s critics and legal woes.

Between high-energy numbers that had fans forming a large mosh pit, the band members led the audience in chants of “Free Palestine” and “Free Mo Chara.” They also aimed an expletive-laden chant at U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has said he didn’t think it was “appropriate” for Kneecap to play Glastonbury.

The trio thanked festival organizers Michael and Emily Eavis for resisting pressure to cancel Kneecap’s gig and gave a shout-out to Palestine Action, a protest group that the British government plans to ban under terrorism laws after its members vandalized planes on a Royal Air Force base.

The Belfast trio is known for anarchic energy, satirical lyrics and use of symbolism associated with the Irish republican movement, which seeks to unite Northern Ireland, which is part of the U.K., with the Republic of Ireland.

More than 3,600 people were killed during three decades of violence in Northern Ireland involving Irish republican militants, pro-British Loyalist militias and the U.K. security forces. Kneecap takes its name from a brutal punishment — shooting in the leg — that was dealt out by paramilitary groups to informers and drug dealers.

The group has faced criticism for lyrics laden with expletives and drug references, and for political statements, especially since videos emerged allegedly showing the band shouting, “up Hamas, up Hezbollah,” and calling on people to kill lawmakers.

Members of the group say they don’t support Hezbollah or Hamas, nor condone violence, and O hAnnaidh says he picked up a flag that was thrown onto the stage without knowing what it represented. Kneecap has accused critics of trying to silence the band because of its support for the Palestinian cause throughout the war in the Gaza Strip.

A performance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April — where the band accused Israel, with U.S. support, of committing genocide against the Palestinians — sparked calls for the group members’ U.S. visas to be revoked.

Several Kneecap gigs have since been canceled as a result of the controversy.

The BBC, which airs many hours of Glastonbury performances, didn’t show Kneecap’s set live, but said it would “look to make an on-demand version of Kneecap’s performance available on our digital platforms” afterward.

About 200,000 ticket holders have gathered at Worthy Farm in southwest England for Britain’s most prestigious summer music festival, which features almost 4,000 performers on 120 stages. Headline acts performing over three days ending Sunday include Neil Young, Charli XCX, Rod Stewart, Busta Rhymes, Olivia Rodrigo and Doechii.

Glastonbury highlights Friday included a performance from U.K. rockers the 1975, an unannounced set by New Zealand singer Lorde, a raucous reception for Alanis Morissette and an emotional return for Scottish singer Lewis Capaldi, two years after he took a break from touring to adjust to the effect of the neurological condition Tourette syndrome.

Dixon writes for the Associated Press.