Andy Burnham has apologised for Labour\u2019s initial response to Israel\u2019s military action in Gaza, saying the party \u201cdidn\u2019t get it right\u201d and needs to \u201cdo better\u201d under his leadership as he signalled a significant shift in the UK\u2019s approach to the Middle East.<\/p>\n
The prime minister-in-waiting told the Guardian he would put more pressure on the Israeli government, including through further sanctions on individuals and entities, as well as potentially by banning trade in goods with illegal settlements.<\/p>\n
Burnham\u2019s intervention starts to address concerns among voters on Labour\u2019s progressive flank, many of whom have abandoned the party over its position on Israel and Palestine<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI know many people feel that at the start of Israel\u2019s military action in Gaza<\/a> my party didn\u2019t get it right and I am sorry about that. The response has too often not been good enough. We need to do better,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got to do more to put pressure on the Israeli government \u2026 Yes, we have taken some important steps \u2026 But let\u2019s be honest, the UK was too slow to call for a ceasefire. And we must now do more to strengthen our approach.\u201d<\/p>\n However, he stopped short of describing what was happening on the ground in Gaza as a genocide \u2013 a central demand of some on the left \u2013 saying that while there was \u201cincreasing evidence\u201d of war crimes, it was for the international courts to make that ruling.<\/p>\n \u201cI have been absolutely appalled by what I\u2019ve seen and read about the destruction of Gaza. There\u2019s increasing evidence that war crimes appear to have been committed,\u201d he said. \u201cThere must be accountability for the depth of the suffering the people of Gaza have experienced. Ultimately, however, it must be for the international courts to determine, rather than politicians.\u201d<\/p>\n His apology may irritate Keir Starmer, whose interview on LBC radio shortly after Hamas had launched its devastating attack<\/a> on Israel in October 2023, and in which he said Israel \u201chas the right\u201d to withhold power and water from Gaza, upset many within the party.<\/p>\n The Labour leader then took almost 10 days to clarify his remarks, further angering many Muslim and progressive voters. In 2025, Starmer came under months of pressure<\/a>, including from his own cabinet ministers, before finally recognising Palestine as a state.<\/p>\n Burnham acknowledged the UK government had taken some significant steps, including formal recognition, sanctions on Israeli ministers and violent settlers, and restrictions on arms licences so no British bombs or bullets could be used by the Israel Defense Forces in Palestine.<\/p>\n