A new report shows Andy Burnham’s government is all about ‘soundbites’ rather than “concrete consequences” when it comes to Israel’s genocidal occupation of Palestine.
Burnham and Miliband are just as bad as Starmer’s lot
On 8 September, new foreign secretary Ed Miliband promised a “double lock against arms sales” to the apartheid state. But as Declassified UK reported, the trade department has since shown parliament the emptiness of this soundbite by revealing that:
no additional licences have been revoked or suspended since 8 September 2026.
This is because the government believes there are no active licences:
that might materially contribute to the occupation
The failure of Burnham’s government to take significant additional steps to reduce the UK’s complicity with Israel’s crimes, Oxfam’s Martin Butcher told Declassified, is partly because of its:
very narrow reading of international law obligations
This means the government still thinks it’s ok to provide Israel with aircraft components, import millions of pounds of military goods from Israel, and keep strong military and commercial ties with Israeli arms companies. And concerns remain about whether the UK can send some military goods to Israel without a licence.
Lawyer Dearbhla Minogue believes it’s clear the UK is not doing “everything in its power” to stop Israel’s crimes. As she told Declassified, it seems there’ve been:
no concrete consequences for Israel after this government recognised the likelihood of war crimes, ethnic cleansing and what it terms Israeli terrorism
Emily Apple from Campaign Against Arms Trade, meanwhile, went as far as to say:
The so-called double lock on arms exports to Israel is nothing more than a soundbite; a smokescreen designed to appease voters, whilst failing to deliver meaningful policy change.
If you take a look at the past funding, statements, and actions of Burnham and Miliband, it’s little surprise that they represent no meaningful break from the soulless cronyism of Keir Starmer’s government. But that doesn’t make their cynical complicity any more palatable.
Featured image via the Canary
By Ed Sykes
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