A Labour Minister Didn’t Just Avoid Starmer’s Stance — He Turned a Simple Question Into a Live Reminder That Even Peace Can Be Politically Dangerous
The ceasefire was fresh. The hostages were freed. The cameras rolled. And then came the question: would the UK Prime Minister echo Trump’s words — “the war is over”? Hamish Falconer didn’t say yes. He didn’t say no. He said everything else. And in that moment, the audience didn’t just hear hesitation. They heard the weight of a phrase that could shift headlines, spark backlash, or simply land wrong. Because in politics, even peace needs careful phrasing
Labour MP Hamish Falconer refused to answer a question on BBC Breakfast following the arrival of US President Donald Trump in Israel.
Labour MP Hamish Falconer was asked to give his opinion on Keir Starmer’s thoughts on the phrase “war is over”, but he avoided the question. BBC Breakfast host Sally Nugent said: “We’ve heard from President Trump, while he was in the air, ‘the war is over’, is that something the UK Prime Minister would say for sure too?”
Falconer said: “The ceasefire is in place, the violence has stopped, hostages have been released, this is a great day. There is lots of work ahead, this is a hugely important day. Huge praise to the mediators. It’s a wild relief in Israel and Palestine and here in the UK.”
Sally followed up to repeat her question and said: “So you would not quite agree with that sentiment then, that the war is over?”
A question on Keir Starmer was refused (Image: Getty)
She added: “We’ve heard those words definitively from the President, while he was on board this plane, that we’re just seeing touch down now. You wouldn’t quite go as far as that?”
The minister for the Middle East added: “It’s a ceasefire, that doesn’t mean that all the pieces are in place for the lasting peace in the Middle East that we want to see. But we are committed to working alongside President Trump and his team to make sure we have the route that we need for lasting peace in the region.”
While he wouldn’t answer about Starmer, he did however, add his own thoughts and said: “The war is over, the ceasefire is in place, we’ll do everything we can to ensure it doesn’t restart.”
Falconer added that the news was “extremely welcome”.
He told the hosts: “These are scenes that so many people right across the country, myself included, have been waiting to see. It is hugely welcome news that the ceasefire is in place.
“I understand there should be a further release in the coming minutes, I hope that will include hostages with UK links, but clearly this is an agony that has gone on and on. Both for the Palestinians and for the hostage families. This is a historic and welcome day.”
Monday (October 13) has seen the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, with Donald Trump landing in Israel to mark the monumental occasion after playing a pivotal part in encouraging the peace deal.