Sir Keir Starmer has been cautioned that granting recognition to a Palestinian state could “destabilise” the international legal order.

According to a new legal opinion commissioned by Labour peer Lord Mendelsohn, the move could set a problematic precedent, potentially challenging and undermining the foundations of the international system built on a shared definition of statehood.

The warning comes in response to Sir Keir’s conditional support for recognising Palestinian statehood.