On 9 July, Andy Burnham issued a statement regarding ‘Labour’s stance on Gaza‘. In it, our incoming PM refused to call Israel’s actions a genocide, and did little to differentiate his position from that of Keir Starmer. Accordingly, Canary writer Joe Glenton described the statement as “milquetoast sop“. And he wasn’t the only one to notice Burnham is trying to pull the wool over our eyes:
@andyburnham is a coward.
He apologised for the position this Labour Government has taken on Palestine but He won’t call it a Genocide, he hides behind international law.
He won’t commit to Sanctioning Israel.
He won’t commit the British government to stop sharing intelligence… pic.twitter.com/SCJyrSTkn1— Mothin Ali (@MothinAli) July 12, 2026
The “coward” Burnham
His Gaza statement included the following line:
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.
And also this:
There must be accountability for the depth of the suffering the people of Gaza have experienced. Ultimately, however, it must be for the international courts to determine, rather than politicians.
There’s clearly a double standard here; one which suggests Burnham will ultimately fail to deliver on opposing Israel:
Compare and contrast.
Andy Burnham says Russia has committed war crimes in Ukraine. But when it comes to Gaza, he only says war crimes appear to have been committed, and he doesn’t name by who. He also says its up to the courts to determine, not politicians. pic.twitter.com/Rxt0mYSZ1h
— Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth) July 11, 2026
This is no surprise, of course, as we’ve been reporting:
In recent days, Andy Burnham has been vocal about Ukraine, but quiet about Palestine. Like Hope not Hate, the double-standard is telling
by @jodymcintyre_https://t.co/MglnoM7J3X
— Canary (@TheCanaryUK) May 28, 2026
It’s also the case that Burnham and his key appointees are in the foreign influence operation known as ‘Labour Friends of Israel’. As Ranjan Balakumaran reported for the Canary:
Andy Burnham has spent years crafting a specific public myth. He is the ‘King of the North,’ the casual jacket-wearing, anti-Westminster populist who promised to smash the Whitehall bubble, reverse decades of devastating de-industrialization, and bring failing water utilities back under public control.
But as he prepares to enter Downing Street as Prime Minister, the mask has officially slipped. Burnham has handed the keys of Number 10 to his new Chief of Staff, James Purnell—the ex-chair of Labour Friends of Israel, a former BBC executive, and the CEO of Flint Global, an elite corporate lobbying outfit that protects private water companies from state takeovers and was recently sold to a private equity firm notorious for price-gouging the NHS.
Speaking out
In full, Mothin Ali said:
[Andy Burnham] is a coward.
He apologised for the position this Labour Government has taken on Palestine but He won’t call it a Genocide, he hides behind international law.
He won’t commit to Sanctioning Israel.He won’t commit the British government to stop sharing intelligence and resources with Israel and he won’t commit the RAF To stop doing spy flights over Gaza.
What he forgets is the minute you suspect a genocide we have an obligation to take steps and save lives.
Just like he forgets that Greater Manchester doesn’t just mean growth in the centre but for every community that feels left behind, like Wigan, like Rochdale, like Bolton. All our communities should to be protected.
That’s why we need [Greater Manchester mayor candidate Geraldine Coggins] and that’s the difference she will make.
Ali isn’t the only Green speaking out either:
Burnham talks as if the genocide in Gaza is in the past, but it’s happening NOW. Britain is arming Israel NOW.
This UN report is from two weeks ago.
Burnham must commit to fully ending UK complicity NOW. pic.twitter.com/NtbBdPu8Hl
— Zack Polanski (@ZackPolanski) July 11, 2026
Prepare to be disappointed
This isn’t the only instance of Burnham trying to dupe voters:
Like when he hinted at nationalisation despite having no intention to deliver on that front, this hollow statement is going to make everyone madder than if he just said nothing https://t.co/HGJUKJMaGv
— Willem Moore (@willem_moore_uk) July 10, 2026
When Andy Burnham unveiled his plan to run in the Makerfield by-election, the establishment media claimed he would renationalise utilities. Because we actually listened to what he was saying, we knew this wasn’t the case, and we pointed it out. Burnham himself disagreed with our assessment that he had no plan to end the privatisation nightmare. Now, Burnham has made it clear; his Labour government will notoffer anything besides half measures:
Andy Burnham confirming he won’t take our key infrastructure back into public ownership. pic.twitter.com/LjibtBuEdL
— Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth) June 29, 2026
Under Keir Starmer, voters got little besides cold gruel. Andy Burnham has run Starmer’s slop through the microwave for 30 seconds, but it’s still not warm, and it’s still f*cking gruel.
Featured image via the Canary
By Willem Moore
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