Andy Burnham, who is expected to be named as Britain's new prime minister later this month, wants to exert more pressure on the Israeli government over its genocidal actions in Gaza, the Guardian reported on Thursday.
In an interview with the newspaper, Burnham was critical of how the current Prime Minister Keir Starmer had initially reacted to Israel's military campaign in Gaza.
"We've got to do more to put pressure on the Israeli government ... Yes, we have taken some important steps ... But let's be honest, the U.K. was too slow to call for a cease-fire. And we must now do more to strengthen our approach," he said.
Starmer initially resisted calls from within his party, including from Burnham, who was a regional mayor at the time, to demand a cease-fire, instead backing a humanitarian pause in the fighting.
He later called for a cease-fire and has since criticized the Israeli government's atrocities in Gaza. His government has imposed sanctions against far-right Israeli cabinet ministers and formally recognized a Palestinian state.
