Andy Burnham has apologised for Labour's early response to Israel's military campaign in Gaza, conceding the party "was not good enough" and that the UK took too long to demand a ceasefire, in a video message issued on Thursday.
With Burnham set to assume the premiership on 20 July, he signalled a markedly tougher foreign-policy posture. He accused Israel of breaching the US-brokered truce and advocated expanded sanctions on Israeli figures linked to settler violence, a ban on trade in goods produced in illegal West Bank settlements, and a potential halt to arms exports to Israel. He refrained, however, from characterising the attacks on Gaza as genocide.
Labour has previously urged an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, dating to February 2024, but Burnham argued that initial positioning arrived far too late and indicated his government would seek to strengthen Britain's diplomatic approach.