UK Labour leadership frontrunner Andy Burnham said his party 'didn't get it right' and apologized for its response to the Gaza conflict, adding that the UK must do more to pressure the Israeli government. The statement follows his earlier intensification of Gaza criticism, as The Zioneer reported at 20:42.
Andy Burnham, the frontrunner to become Britain's next prime minister, issued a public apology Thursday evening at 20:48 Jerusalem for the Labour Party's response to the Gaza war. "My party didn't get it right… I am sorry. We need to do better. We've got to do more to put pressure on the Israeli Government," he said. The apology comes minutes after a fuller statement Burnham released at 20:42, as The Zioneer reported at the time, in which he described the suffering in Gaza as "a stain on our collective conscience" and backed restrictions on arms exports to Israel, a ban on trade with settlements, and a war crimes investigation. This latest statement follows the initial apology to The Guardian reported by The Zioneer at 19:31 Jerusalem.
At 19:31 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported that Burnham apologized to The Guardian for Labour's Gaza response and said he would consider banning trade from Israeli settlements. Minutes later, at 20:42 Jerusalem, The Zioneer published a fuller statement in which Burnham intensified his criticism, calling for arms export restrictions, a settlement trade ban, and a war crimes probe. The development chain shows a rapid escalation in tone and specificity, moving from a single interview to a public statement with explicit policy demands.
As The Zioneer has reported, Burnham has shifted his position on Israel significantly over recent weeks. On June 21, The Zioneer noted that in 2015 he had said his first foreign visit as Labour leader would be to Israel. On June 24, The Zioneer reported that he declined to call Israel's actions in Gaza "genocide." He returned to parliament in a by-election win on June 19, and is now the frontrunner to succeed Keir Starmer, who resigned on June 21. Burnham's evolving stance is seen as a key indicator of the direction of UK foreign policy under a potential Labour government.
It remains unclear whether this public apology — the second in one evening — signals a new permanent policy platform or is a response to immediate political pressure. The specific timing of further sanctions or legislative action on settlement trade and arms exports has not been announced.
4 developments
- DevelopingAndy Burnham, potential UK PM, declines to call Israel's actions 'genocide'
- DevelopingIn 2015, UK Labour leader Andy Burnham said his first foreign visit would be to Israel
- StrongBurnham returns to parliament in by-election win, strengthening Labour leadership challenge
- StrongStarmer reportedly weighs staying on as Labour leader amid growing pressure after Burnham by-election win
Source and signal
- Internal intake