Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has been criticised for committing to increase funding to UN Palestinian refugee agency Unrwa.

After a meeting with met Unrwa Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini yesterday, Starmer committed to provide an additional £13 million “to support vital services for Palestinian refugees in the OPT (Occupied Palestinian Territories) and the region”.

At the meeting Starmer expressed “his deep condolences for the many Unrwa staff who have been killed in conflict and they both agreed that more must be done to protect aid workers in Gaza.”

Responding to the announcement, shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel said: “Securing the release of hostages in Gaza, getting more aid in to alleviate the humanitarian crisis faced, and establishing a sustainable peace must be a priority for the Government. The Prime Minister needs to explain how these priorities were advanced in his discussions with Philippe Lazzarini.”

The senior Conservative added: “Unrwa had to fire nine staff after investigations into their involvement in the appalling attack on Israel on October 7 last year. All links to the Hamas terrorist group must be severed. It is critical that UN bodies ensure adequate vetting of personnel and activities and Catherine Colonna’s reforms need to be fully implemented.”

She also called on the government to “prove” that British taxpayers’ money going to Unrwa was getting to those who truly need it.

Other Conservatives went further than Patel in their criticism of Starmer.

Nick Timothy, MP for West Suffolk, asked whether Starmer challenged Lazzarini “about Unrwa complicity in the October 7 attacks and the role its employees played in hiding the hostages? Or did you, but didn't want to say so?” in a post on social media.

Former foreign minister Lord Goldsmith said in a post on X: “Before granting your full support did you at least ask about Unrwa employees participating in the rape, mutilation, murder & kidnapping of innocent civilians? Or about their educational programmes (funded by us) which teach hate and praise terrorism? Isn’t that stuff even a tiny bit noteworthy?”

Dominic Cummings, former chief of staff to Boris Johnson, lamented that “HMG keeps sending English taxpayers’ money to fund Hamas”.

Under the Conservatives, the UK was one of several countries that stopped funding Unrwa in January 2024 after Israel accused its employees of participating in the October 7 attacks and subsequent violence, a decision reversed by the Labour Party in government.

In October, Starmer said the UK was “gravely concerned” at legislation passed by Israel’s Knesset aimed at curtailing Unrwa’s operations.

Israeli political figures across the political spectrum have expressed opposition to Unrwa.

In an interview with the JC, the former leader of Israel’s Labour Party said that “a lot of people who work in Unrwa are Hamas's people”.

Labour was contacted for comment.