Andy Burnham, the frontrunner to become UK prime minister, apologized to The Guardian for Labour's initial response to the Gaza war, saying the party 'did not act right' and must 'do better.' He said he will push for additional sanctions and consider banning trade from Israeli settlements.
New details emerged from Andy Burnham's interview with The Guardian, published Thursday evening. As The Zioneer reported earlier tonight, Burnham had already signaled a tougher stance on Israel, including sanctions. In the full interview, Burnham explicitly apologized for Labour's initial response to the Gaza war, stating, 'We didn't act right. Our response was often insufficient.' He pledged to 'do better' under his leadership.
Burnham said he would exert greater pressure on Israel, including additional sanctions against individuals and entities, and would examine a ban on trade in products from Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which he described as 'illegal.' The comments represent a significant shift from the party's previous position and are seen as an attempt to regain progressive voters who left Labour over its Israel policy.
Burnham is widely expected to become prime minister as early as next month, following the resignation of Keir Starmer. The interview is his most detailed foreign policy statement since emerging as the frontrunner.
4 developments
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Source and signal
- Internal intake