Less than a month into office, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham is facing backlash over several Cabinet appointments, with pro-Palestinian activists urging his government to impose sanctions on Israel.
Among the appointments that have drawn criticism is James Purnell, whom Burnham selected as his new chief of staff. His role as chair of the Labour Friends of Israel (LFI) group from 2002 to 2004 has sparked anger.
In an interview with Anadolu Agency, Councillor Jonathan Purcell, a deputy leader of Greens in Tower Hamlet Council, said it’s “absolutely clear” where Burnham’s priorities lie.
“James Purnell is the former Labor Friends of Israel chair. If that isn’t a demonstration of where he stands on this issue, then I don’t know what is,” he said.
He urged Burnham to stop selling arms to Israel, “including the supply of arms sales to Israel.”
He must also immediately sanction ministers and remove the opacity around the spy flights taking off from RAF Akrotiri, a British air base in the Greek Cypriot Administration, over Gaza, he said.
Kerie Anne, branch secretary of Tower Hamlet Unison, the largest trade union in the UK, said she expects a “strong stand” on Israel from this government.
“Give Israel a really hard time boycotting divestment and sanctions because of its genocidal activity,” she added.
The British government has been “far too soft” on Israel, and it’s just “unacceptable,” she said.
For Anne, the UK needs to institute a serious boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) regime on Israel.
“We are championing BDS, but we need our government to lead it at a national level,” she noted.
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‘Bitterly disappointing’
John McLoughlin, a local British pensioner, criticized the ongoing financial ties with Israel, saying it is “bitterly disappointing.”
“I’m now a pensioner, I am receiving pension from the pension funds. I don’t believe that our pension fund should be invested in companies committing genocide,” he added.
He claimed that the UK needs a change in policy about Palestine, and expressed that he is also “very concerned” that Burnham, like the previous prime minister, is talking about increased spending on arms, and that includes armaments that go to Israel.
“They should stop supplying arms. They should stop investing and involving companies like Palantir here in UK public services,” said McLoughlin.
The chief of staff appointment was also criticized over Purnell’s lobbying links as he was former chief executive of Flint Global, a registered lobbyist.
Eighteen months ago, Purcell said the London’s Tower Hamlet council passed a motion to divest from arms companies complicit in the genocide.
“The reason why that is so important is because there are workers in this council who have made it absolutely clear that they do not want to be complicit in Israel’s genocide or its illegal occupation of Palestine,” he added.
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What has Burnham said so far?
Last month, roughly 10 days before assuming his role as the country’s 59th prime minister, Burnham apologized for the Labour Party’s stance on Gaza.
He said the party “didn’t get it right” and needs to “do better” under his leadership.
“Labour’s initial response to the treatment of Gaza caused huge hurt. We got it wrong and I am sorry for that.”
In an interview with Guardian, he noted that he would put more pressure on the Israeli government, including through further sanctions on individuals and entities, as well as a potential ban on the trade of goods with illegal settlements.
He also called what is happening in Gaza “unbearable suffering” saying it is a “scar on our collective conscience.”
He also commented on continued and illegal occupier violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, stressing that the UK is exploring measures against Israeli settlements.
“There are potential measures that I’m looking at in terms of the settlements in the West Bank, and those will be looked at an announced in due course,” Burnham told TLDR news on Saturday.
READ: Over 600 Palestinians detained by Israel in West Bank raids last month: Advocacy group
