Andy Burnham says Labour ‘didn’t get it right’ as he apologises for its stance on Gaza | Foreign policy

Andy Burnham has apologized for Labour’s initial response to Israel’s military action in Gaza, saying the party “didn’t get it right” and must “do better” under his leadership, signaling a significant shift in Britain’s approach to the Middle East.

The future prime minister told the Guardian he would put more pressure on the Israeli government, imposing more sanctions on individuals and organisations, as well as potentially banning the trade in goods with illegal settlements.

As well as pressing for fundamental change on the ground, Burnham’s intervention begins to address the concerns of voters in Labour’s progressive wing; Many of them have left the party because of its stance on Israel and Palestine.

“I know that many people think that my party did not understand the situation correctly at the beginning of Israel’s military operation in Gaza, and I am sorry about that. The response was often not good enough. We need to do better,” he said.

“We must do more to pressure the Israeli government… Yes, we have taken some important steps… But let’s be honest, the UK has been too slow to call for a ceasefire. We must now do more to strengthen our approach.”

But his apology could upset Keir Starmer and upset many within the party, who said in an interview on LBC radio shortly after Hamas launched its devastating attack on Israel in October 2023 that Israel “has the right” to deny electricity and water to Gaza.

It took the Labor leader almost 10 days to clarify his remarks, further angering many Muslim and progressive voters. Starmer faced months of pressure, including from his own cabinet ministers, before recognizing Palestine as a state in 2025.

Burnham acknowledged that the UK government had taken some important steps, including official recognition, sanctions against Israeli ministers and violent settlers, and restrictions on gun licenses so that British bombs or bullets could not be used by the Israel Defense Forces in Palestine.

But many Labor figures across the party believe Starmer struggled to speak out on Gaza after his initial missteps and delays, resulting in subsequent UK government action failing.

According to an Opinium poll for the Palestine Solidarity Campaign last month, two-thirds of Labor voters who later switched to the Green party said the party’s handling of Gaza was a factor.

Despite his change of position, the former mayor of Greater Manchester sought to reassure Jewish communities by saying he was deeply concerned about the rise of antisemitism in the UK and “strongly condemned” the October 7 attacks by Hamas.

“There is no contradiction between a zero-tolerance approach to anti-Semitism and holding the Netanyahu government to account. I will always take a fair and balanced approach and stand for what is right,” he said.

In her speech, Burnham stated that the British government should do more to put pressure on the Israeli government, describing the suffering of the people of Gaza as “a wound on our collective conscience”; Innocent Palestinians continue to be killed, little aid arrives, and the Israeli army continues to expand its areas of control.

But he refrained from describing what was happening on the ground in Gaza as genocide – a key demand of some on the left – and said it was up to international courts to make that decision, despite “mounting evidence” of war crimes.

“I am absolutely horrified by what I have seen and read about the destruction of Gaza. There is growing evidence that war crimes are being committed,” he said. “There must be accountability for the depth of suffering experienced by the people of Gaza. But in the end, the decision should belong to international courts, not politicians.”

He is also likely to face pressure from the left to ban all arms shipments to Israel, including spare parts for F-35 fighter jets, and also to take a different approach to banning Palestine Action after the appeals court ruled last month that its decision to ban Shabana Mahmood’s direct action group was lawful.

In her speech, Burnham also criticized the increase in settler violence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the increasing expansion of illegal settlements and the displacement of Palestinian communities, and claimed that the Netanyahu government is trying to make a two-state solution impossible.

“So we need to do more, including looking at both greater sanctions against those involved in the violence in Gaza and measures to ban the trade of goods through illegal settlements,” he said.

Foreign ministers are understood to be looking at ways to prevent goods and services from entering the UK through settlements without affecting legitimate trade with Israel.