Andy Burnham urges more UK pressure on Israel

Andy Burnham, tipped to succeed outgoing UK leader Keir Starmer, said Britain should increase pressure on Israel over its actions in Gaza, in an interview published by The Guardian on July 9.

Burnham said many people believed Starmer's government had not responded well enough to Israel's military offensive in Gaza after the October 2023 Hamas attacks. The Guardian quoted him as saying: “We need to do better.”

Burnham said the UK had taken “some important steps” but had been too slow to call for a ceasefire. He said further sanctions should be considered and that Britain should examine measures “to ban trade in goods with illegal settlements.”

Starmer announced his resignation on June 22, and the nomination process to choose his successor began on July 9. Since taking office in July 2024, his Labour government has sanctioned Israeli ministers accused of fuelling settler violence in the West Bank, suspended free-trade negotiations with Israel and formally recognised a State of Palestine.

Burnham also said there was “no contradiction” between a zero-tolerance approach to antisemitism and holding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to account.