Burnham calls on the UK to change its policy on Gaza

Andy Burnham says London must change its policy on Gaza

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said London’s response to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza had been late and inadequate. Burnham argued that the two-state solution must be preserved and that the Israeli government’s policies must change.

Scraper SystemSeptember 09, 2026, 12:01 PM

Andy Burnham says London must change its policy on Gaza

The ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza has brought UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s criticism of London’s position to the fore. Burnham said the UK’s response had been late and inadequate, adding that the two-state solution was the main hope for peace and stability in the region.

Burnham said the UK needed to defend this position more firmly, arguing that over the 10 years since the country left the European Union, it had lost confidence in playing a leading role and defending its values. Saying he would not allow this situation to continue, Burnham stressed that the UK needed to back its position with action.

The crisis facing Palestinians

Burnham described the suffering of the Palestinian people as a wound on the conscience of the world. He said innocent Palestinians continued to lose their lives in Gaza and that aid reaching the region remained extremely limited despite the scale of the crisis, adding that thousands had been killed and the population had been displaced on a mass scale.

Burnham said British society was deeply concerned about what was happening in Gaza and expressed his determination to change the government’s approach. He also announced that the UK had presented a new humanitarian aid package for Gaza.

The two-state solution and the trade decision

Recalling that the UK had for many years supported ending the conflict in the Middle East on the basis of a two-state solution, Burnham said statements alone were not enough. He said the UK had long hesitated to act because of concerns that it would be accused of being anti-Israel.

Burnham said the decision to ban trade with the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel had been taken after a comprehensive assessment. He said these steps were directed not against the Israeli people but against the unacceptable policies of the Israeli government.

Criticism of settlement expansion

Burnham also criticized the expansion of Israeli settlements, saying that more settlements had been approved in the past four years than in the previous 20 years. Burnham claimed that 1,500 acts of violence had been carried out by Israeli settlers this year.

Burnham said 104 new settlements had been approved since the current Israeli government came to power in December 2022, adding that the tender process for the construction of the E1 settlement had been allowed to continue ahead of the October elections. Burnham argued that the project would effectively divide the West Bank and eliminate hope for a two-state solution.

Burnham said the events of October 7, 2023, could not legitimize Israel’s actions in Gaza and the West Bank. Twelve countries, including the UK, France, Spain and Canada, joined a joint statement on banning trade with the occupied Palestinian territories.

Andy Burnham says London must change its policy on Gaza