Andy Burnham, the mayor of Manchester who recently returned to Parliament and is now emerging as the likely successor to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, has long been seen as a figure who expresses principled support for Israel’s right to exist—while also siding with the ‘Palestinian’ narrative.
1+In 2015, when he ran for Labour leadership, Burnham declared that if elected, Israel would be his first foreign policy visit. He described it as “a democracy with a long history of protecting minorities and advancing civil rights,” and called the BDS movement “vindictive.”
At the same time, Burnham supports a two-state solution and was among those calling for official recognition of a ‘Palestinian’ state. He opposes Israeli patronage in Judea and Samaria, which he has previously defined as “illegal and immoral.”
1+On the Gaza war, his position is mixed. On one hand, he refused to define IDF operations as “genocide,” saying: “I cannot judge things of such magnitude from my perspective as mayor.” On the other hand, he expressed deep concern about the scale of destruction and civilian casualties, and called for a full investigation.
In October 2023, Burnham joined calls for a ceasefire, while emphasizing that Israel operates within the framework of international law but expressing “deep concerns” about the death toll and the prevention of aid.