Burnham apologises for Labour's initial response to Gaza war

Andy Burnham has apologised for Labour's initial response to Israel's military action in Gaza, saying the party "didn't get it right" and needs to do better under his leadership. Burnham, who is expected to become prime minister later this month, was one of several high-profile Labour figures who were calling for a ceasefire in Gaza 2023 - which at the time put him at odds with Sir Keir Starmer. "Labour's initial response to the treatment of Gaza caused huge hurt. We got it wrong and I am sorry for that," he wrote on social media. In a video message, the Makerfield MP also reiterated his condemnation of the 7 October Hamas attack, as well as antisemitic attacks in the UK. During the early weeks of the conflict, Sir Keir had backed humanitarian pauses to help aid reach Gazans but stopped short of calling for a ceasefire. Compared to a formal ceasefire, humanitarian pauses tend to last for short periods of time, sometimes just a few hours, and are implemented purely with the aim of providing support as opposed to achieving long-term political solutions. "I know that many people feel that at the start of Israel's military action in Gaza, my party didn't get it right, and I am sorry about that," Burnham said in his video message on Thursday. "The response has too often not been good enough. Sir Keir's stance on a ceasefire at this time was also in line with that of the previous Conservative government, led . In February 2024, Labour called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza for the first time since the outbreak of the conflict the previous October. Burnham in his video did praise several policies Labour had enacted in government - the recognition of a Palestinian state, placing sanctions on Israeli ministers and settlers, and restrictions on arms licences to Israel. But he said more needed to be done to "strengthen our approach", to "ensure the Israeli government adheres to international law and to keep the prospect of a two-state solution alive". He accused Israel of violating the US-brokered ceasefire agreement and said there had been a surge of settler violence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. "[Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu's government is clearly attempting to make a two-state solution impossible," he said, calling for further sanctions and measures to ban trade in goods with illegal settlements in the West Bank. The former Greater Manchester mayor has received praise from several Labour MPs.