UK Labour's Burnham apologises for party's response to Gaza violence
Andy Burnham has publicly apologised for Labour's initial response to Israel's actions in Gaza, saying the party "got it wrong" and should have moved faster to call for a ceasefire. In a video message posted on X on Thursday, he said many people felt Labour "didn't get it right" at the start of Israel's military operation in Gaza. He added that the response "has not been good enough" and that the party "needed to be better".
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Burnham said the UK had already taken some steps, including recognising the state of Palestine, imposing sanctions on Israeli far-right ministers and introducing waves of restrictions on violent settlers. He argued, however, that Britain was "too slow" to call for a ceasefire and should now strengthen its approach. He called for further sanctions on people involved in violence in Gaza, while also saying the UK should consider banning trade in goods with illegal settlements.
The comments place renewed pressure on Labour's position on Gaza and on how far a future government might go in using sanctions and trade measures. Burnham is described in the source material as the United Kingdom's likely incoming next prime minister, making his remarks politically significant within the party and beyond. His intervention also reflects continuing debate over how Western governments should respond to the conflict, settlement expansion and allegations of war crimes.
Burnham said Israel continues to kill Palestinians in attacks in Gaza despite a truce, and that settler violence and illegal settlement expansion across occupied Palestinian territory continue to rise. He cited figures from the Palestinian Health Ministry saying more than 1,000 people in Gaza have been killed since a US-brokered ceasefire was agreed in October. He also said there was increasing evidence that war crimes may have been committed, while stressing that it is for international law to determine that question.
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He stopped short of accusing Israel of genocide, a term used by some Labour lawmakers, and said criticism of events in Gaza should be accompanied by condemnation of Hamas's 7 October 2023 attack and subsequent acts of anti-Semitic violence in Britain. That balance is likely to remain central to Labour's internal debate, especially as the party seeks to define its stance on the conflict, sanctions and trade policy. The remarks also underline the continuing political sensitivity of Gaza in British domestic politics.
What remains unclear is which specific individuals or entities Burnham would want targeted by any new sanctions, and how far any future Labour government would be prepared to go on trade restrictions. It is also not clear whether his comments will translate into policy or remain a political statement. The next developments to watch are any response from Labour leadership figures, further detail on possible sanctions, and whether the UK government adjusts its position on settlement trade.
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