Andy Burnham, likely next British PM, says UK must pressure Israel, restrict arms sales

Andy Burnham, who is all but certain to be the UK’s next prime minister, says Britain must do more to pressure Israel over its treatment of the Gaza Palestinians, and that it must bar the sale of weapons that Israel will use in the West Bank and Gaza.

Burnham, who until recently was mayor of Manchester, also repeatedly condemns antisemitism, citing the deadly attack on a Manchester synagogue last Yom Kippur. He also condemns the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack that launched the Gaza war.

“It’s completely unacceptable that innocent Palestinians, including children, continue to be killed,” he says in a video he posts to social media. “That there’s still a humanitarian crisis with too little aid getting in, and that the Israeli military continues to expand the area it controls in Gaza. We’ve got to do more to put pressure on the Israeli government.”

Burnham, who recently entered Parliament, is expected to be the only candidate who will run in internal Labour Party elections to replace outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who recently announced that he would step down. Burnham apologized for his party’s initial response to the Gaza war, saying many feel “my party didn’t get it right and I am sorry about that. The response has too often not been good enough. We need to do better.”

He adds, “The UK was too slow to call for a ceasefire and we must now do more to strengthen our approach.” He condemns settler violence in the West Bank and chides the Israeli government for “clearly attempting to make a two-state solution impossible.”

He says the UK must intensify sanctions to combat those developments, and adds, “I also fully support the restrictions on arms licenses to make sure that no British bombs or bullets can be used by the IDF in Gaza or in the West Bank.” He also mentions banning trade with “illegal settlements.”

Labour’s initial response to the treatment of Gaza caused huge hurt. We got it wrong and I am sorry for that. pic.twitter.com/MtQxhp71J3

— Andy Burnham (@andyburnham) July 9, 2026

Burnham stops short of calling Israel’s conduct in Gaza a genocide, which many international left-wing politicians have done, but says, “I have been absolutely appalled by what I’ve seen and read about the destruction of Gaza. There’s increasing evidence that war crimes appear to have been committed.”

Regarding antisemitism, he says, “I also condemn the increase in appalling antisemitic attacks here in the UK and those who seek to divide our communities by targeting Jewish people. Following the Heaton Park synagogue attack in Manchester, I felt first hand the anxiety in our Jewish community and the very real threat they face. This is unacceptable and we must continue to stamp out antisemitism across the UK.”