The UK government is working to close a loophole that allowed a Palestinian family from Gaza to settle in the UK [Getty]
The UK government has vowed to close a ‘loophole’ which has allowed a Palestinian family escaping from war-torn Gaza to live in the UK, after applying through a scheme designed for Ukrainians fleeing from war.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer made the comments during Prime Minister’s Questions session after Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said it was “completely wrong” that a family of six from Gaza were allowed to join the father’s brother in the UK by using the Ukraine Family Scheme.
The application was initially refused in May last year due to the Home Office concluded the requirements of the scheme were not met, however, the Palestinian family, whose home was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike during the devastating war on the enclave, displacement and humanitarian crisis, appealed the decision in September.
 A further appeal in January was upheld on the grounds of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which found that there were “very compelling or exceptional circumstances” meaning they should be allowed to live in the UK, particularly as the ongoing situation in Gaza was “dire”.
Badenoch pressed Starmer on the case, saying: “We cannot be in a situation where we allow enormous numbers of people to exploit our laws in this way,” quizzing him further on whether the government was planning on appealing this decision.
“It should be the government that makes the policy, that is the principle, and the home secretary is already looking at the legal loophole which we need to close in this particular case,” Starmer responded.
When questioned further, he reiterated that he and the government had already started working on closing the loophole.
“She asked me if we’re going to change the law and close the loophole in question one, I said yes. She asked me again in question two, and I said yes. She asked me again in question three, it’s still yes,” he insisted.
A Home Office spokesperson later confirmed that the government was reviewing such cases and working to close the loophole, according to the BBC.
“We have been clear that we do not agree with this judgment, and we twice vigorously contested this case. As the prime minister has said, Article 8, the right to family life, should be interpreted much more narrowly,” the spokesman said.
“The home secretary is urgently reviewing this case to ensure the correct processes are always followed and existing laws correctly interpreted,” they added.
Badenoch has been making calls for a firmer stance on making it more difficult for people to get British citizenship, taking aim at the Palestinian family’s brother who was allowed to come to the UK from Gaza in 2007.
“This is precisely why we need to break the conveyor belt from arriving in the UK to acquiring indefinite leave to remain, and then a British passport, and now a right to bring six family members here as well,” she said.
The UK has provided tailored refugee pathways for Afghans, Ukrainians, and Hong Kong residents, yet no equivalent scheme exists for Palestinians, despite the devastating war in Gaza, which has killed over 61,000 Palestinians and left much of the territory in ruins.
The government’s willingness to swiftly protect Ukrainian refugees while shutting down a rare legal pathway for Palestinians has led to mounting accusations of racism and hypocrisy in Britain’s immigration policies.
Online, activists and commentators have condemned Starmer’s decision, accusing the government of treating Palestinian lives as lesser. Many highlighted the contrast between the UK’s generous refugee policies for white European Ukrainians and its determination to block Palestinians fleeing an active war zone.
“War Criminal Starmer wants to close the legal loophole allowing Palestinians to seek refuge in the UK—while keeping it open for others. This isn’t just hypocrisy; it’s a blatant attack on Palestinian lives,” one social media user wrote.
Another added: “Starmer has been silent while Trump outlines his plan to ethnically cleanse Gaza. Finally, he speaks… to confirm he’ll close the loophole that let Gazans settle in the UK.”
