Andy Burnham declared Labour leader, set to become UK prime minister
Burnham signaled he was ready to adopt a more overtly hostile approach toward Israel, apologizing for Labour’s initial response to the Gaza war, triggered by the October 7, 2023 massacre of Israelis
Andy Burnham was formally declared leader of Britain’s governing Labour Party on Friday, putting him on course to become prime minister next week.
Burnham was the only candidate to replace Keir Starmer after securing the backing of 379 of Labour’s 403 lawmakers.
The former Greater Manchester mayor returned to Parliament last month after winning a special election. He has pledged to pursue a politics of “unity and hope” and spread economic growth more evenly across Britain.
Burnham recently signaled he was ready to adopt a more overtly hostile approach toward Israel, apologizing for Labour’s initial response to the Gaza war, triggered by the Hamas-led massacre of Israelis on October 7, 2023, and saying Britain had been too slow to call for a ceasefire. He called for sanctions and restrictions on trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank.