Burnham Apologises for Labour's Gaza Response, Pushes Sanctions
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- Andy Burnham, the UK's likely incoming next prime minister, apologized for Labour's initial response to Israel's military operation in Gaza, saying "we got it wrong" and "the response has not been good enough" in a video posted on X on Thursday.
- Burnham called for further sanctions on those involved in Gaza violence and measures to ban trading goods with illegal settlements, though he did not name who should be sanctioned.
- Citing the Palestinian Health Ministry, Burnham said more than 1,000 people in Gaza have been killed since a US-brokered "ceasefire" between Israel and the US was agreed in October.
- Burnham acknowledged UK steps already taken — recognizing the state of Palestine, sanctioning Israeli far-right ministers, and imposing restrictions on violent settlers — but said "the UK was too slow to call for a ceasefire."
- Burnham stopped short of accusing Israel of genocide, a charge some Labour lawmakers have levelled, saying there is "increasing evidence that war crimes appear to have been committed" but that determining genocide falls to international law.
- Burnham also urged the UK to condemn Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack and subsequent anti-Semitic violence in Britain alongside its criticism of Gaza, and the article notes Labour under Keir Starmer lost young supporters to the Green Party over its perceived weak response.
Why it matters: Burnham's apology and policy demands carry weight because, as likely next PM, he is previewing a Labour government willing to go further on Gaza — pursuing fresh sanctions and settlement trade bans — than the current Starmer administration did. That marks a concrete policy shift from a party that initially resisted calling for a ceasefire.
