Andy Burnham could see himself return to parliament – and potentially as PM amid the current crisis plaguing Starmer [Getty/file photo]
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is reportedly preparing for a return to parliament, a move that could position him as a potential challenger for the UK premiership as pressure mounts on Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the Labour Party.
Amid growing speculation over Burnham’s national ambitions, renewed attention has turned to his stance on Palestine, Israel’s war on Gaza and his broader political positioning on Middle East issues.
During the early months of Israel’s assault on Gaza, Burnham emerged as one of the senior Labour-aligned figures calling for a ceasefire, alongside London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar.
The three politicians said they had “profound concerns” over the mounting death toll in Gaza and stressed that urgent humanitarian aid must be allowed into the besieged territory.
In October 2023, weeks after Israel launched its war on Gaza, Burnham said there should be a ceasefire “by all sides” and called for captives to be released unharmed.
However, Burnham also backed Israel’s so-called right to carry out “targeted action within international law”, echoing rhetoric widely used by Western leaders despite mounting civilian deaths and devastation across Gaza.
As the war intensified and humanitarian conditions in Gaza deteriorated, Burnham later appealed to residents across Greater Manchester to support UK-Med, a charity providing medical assistance to Palestinians in the enclave.
In a video address in July last year, Burnham described the suffering in Gaza as “beyond words” and said the distress facing Palestinians “deepens every day”.
“We stand with people in times of need, it’s who we are,” he said while urging donations to expand access to medical care in Gaza.
Despite this appeal, Burnham appears to have tiptoed the scales of being both pro-Israel and pro-Palestine throughout his political career.
The Greater Manchester mayor has been a member or supporter of the Labour Friends of Israel group since at least 2015. Founded in 1957, LFI describes Israel as “the historic homeland” of the Jewish people, and advocates for a “two-state solution” to the conflict. His former special adviser, Jennifer Gerber, was appointed as the group’s secretary in 2010.
In an address in the same year, amid the Labour Party leadership collection, Burnham was reported as saying that “he has always been a friend of Israel and the Jewish community- and that will never change”
Zarah Sultana, the staunchly pro-Palestinian politician and now a member of the Jeremy Corbyn-founded Your Party, accused Burnham of being a Zionist, citing incidents such as calling the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) group “spiteful,” calling the Balfour Declaration “British values in action,” and labelling Israel as a “democracy”.
Just as he did during the war in Gaza, Burnham has previously made comments that can be described as favourable or sympathetic towards Palestine.
Also in 2015, Burnham said he “shared concerns” over the Middle East Peace Process and the issue of Palestinian human rights when answering questions on the issue from the UK-based Palestinian Solidarity Campaign group.
He stressed his ongoing support for a two-state solution, saying he called for UK efforts to push for Palestinian state recognition at the UN in 2011 and 2012.
He also added: “The immediate priority for the international community must be to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches the thousands of Palestinians who are in desperate need and to help the rebuilding of basic infrastructure in Gaza.”
Three years prior, he also reportedly visited the occupied West Bank as part of a parliamentary trip facilitated by Caabu, the Council for British-Arab Understanding.
Given his “both-side-ism” towards the Palestine and Israeli conflict and his potential return to parliament, Burnham’s stance will come further under the microscope, particularly as Israel has come under more international scrutiny following its actions in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran, Benjamin Netanyahu’s ICC arrest warrant, and the controversial proscription of Palestine Action as a terror group by then-Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper.
Burnham will be under the media’s spotlight following Josh Simmons’ resignation as MP from Makerfield last week, triggering a by-election for the Greater Manchester Mayor, which could pave the way for UK premiership as Starmer finds himself further embattled.
