Andy Burnham, the front-runner to become the next Labour leader, has acknowledged that the party failed to adequately address the situation in Gaza and has expressed regret over the initial response.
In a video statement, Burnham acknowledged that the party did not initially respond correctly to Israel's military action in Gaza and that the response was 'not good enough.' He stated that the party needs to 'do better' and has promised to strengthen the UK's approach to the conflict.
Burnham has suggested that a government under his leadership would impose further sanctions on those involved in the violence in Gaza and would also consider measures to ban trade in goods with illegal settlements. However, he stopped short of accusing Israel of perpetrating a genocide against Palestinians, as some Labour MPs have demanded.
Burnham emphasized the need for the UK to be 'clear in our criticism of what has happened in Gaza' and condemned both the October 7 attacks by Hamas and antisemitic violence in Britain. He also stated that he is 'appalled by what I have seen and read about the destruction of Gaza' and described the experience of Palestinians in the territory as 'a scar on our collective conscience.'
Burnham's comments come as Labour's initial response to the conflict drew strong criticism from some of the party's supporters, with the issue driving a significant shift of particularly younger voters towards the Green Party.
Amnesty International has welcomed Burnham's words, stating that the UK government must take urgent action to address the human rights violations in Gaza. The organization has called for the UK to end trade in settlement goods without delay and impose further sanctions on Israeli officials implicated in abuses.
Burnham has also outlined his vision for a new government, including the establishment of a new No 10 unit in the north to hand local government more control in areas such as housing and transport. He has pledged to give all parts of the UK 'greater public control' of the water and energy sectors, but further details remain scarce.
