Britain's Prime Minister Andy Burnham speaks to staff members during a visit to officially open No10 North in Manchester, north-west England.
UK’s Burnham rejects call from 80 MPs to recognize Gaza genocide
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Britain’s new government under Prime Minister Andy Burnham has rejected calls from dozens of parliamentarians to officially designate ‘Israel’s’ assault on the Gaza Strip as genocide and to impose comprehensive sanctions.
The decision comes just days after Burnham assumed office on July 20, succeeding Keir Starmer.
Last week, 80 members of the House of Commons and House of Lords wrote to the new prime minister urging him to recognise the findings of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry.
That body concluded in reports last year and again in June 2026 that ‘Israeli’ forces and authorities have committed genocide in Gaza, including through the deliberate targeting of Palestinian children.
The cross-party letter, led by Labour MP Kim Johnson, argued that Burnham had “an opportunity to genuinely open a new chapter” in Britain’s policy.
It called on the government to implement the rulings of the International Court of Justice, take “all reasonable steps to prevent or mitigate the risk of genocide,” impose a full arms embargo, and ban trade in goods and services with ‘Israeli’ settlements in the occupied territories.
A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson responded that Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband had “made clear that the United Kingdom will work tirelessly to achieve a sustainable peace in Palestine and Israel, including ending the appalling suffering of the people of Gaza and ensuring security for Israelis.”
The statement did not address the specific demand to recognise genocide and instead highlighted existing measures, including four rounds of sanctions on entities and individuals linked to settler violence in the West Bank, as well as sanctions on ‘Israeli’ ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.
Burnham had previously apologised for Labour’s earlier handling of the Gaza conflict under Starmer, describing the suffering as a “scar on our collective conscience” and signalling openness to further sanctions and recognition of a Palestinian state.
However, he has consistently deferred any formal determination of genocide to international courts rather than politicians.
