Andy Burnham last week issued a grovelling apology for Labour’s position on Gaza. In a three-minute social media video, he lamented his party’s weak response to the conflict in Israel while vowing to ‘do better’ on Palestine. A sentence or two was devoted to a bog-standard, tick-box condemnation of anti-Semitism before Burnham returned to listing his Gaza credentials – much to the delight of party activists and MPs.
How has Burnham found ample time to grovel over Palestine but has yet to clear his diary for the domestic plight of British Jews?
Days later, the incoming prime minister has still found no time to address what lies behind much of the anti-Semitism he fleetingly addressed: radical Islam and its growing legion of supporters on the left. While Islamists wage a campaign of terror against British Jews – not to mention Persian dissidents – the domestic threat has apparently not proved worthy of Burnham’s time. That stands in stark contrast to the conflict in Palestine, over which Britain exercises laughably little influence.
It comes as the Home Office today announced that it will formally proscribe Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a threat to Britain’s national security. In one of Sir Keir Starmer’s final acts in office, the Islamic Movement of Companions of the Right (IMCR) was also named as one of the first organisations to be designated under the new National Security (State Threats) Act. Under the legislation, those carrying out acts of sabotage, including arson, on behalf of these groups could face life imprisonment. Sir Keir also confirmed that police forces will receive a £250 million funding boost to protect Jewish communities from the growing Islamist threat.
The IMCR has boasted of orchestrating seven attacks in the UK linked to Jewish and Israeli communities and Persian-language media. Among them was the devastating arson attack on four Hatzola ambulances in Golders Green in March. The Home Office today confirmed that the IRGC has, of course, been in the driving seat all along, stating that it ‘almost certainly directed IMCR attacks across Europe’. Commenting on the announcement, Sir Keir said: ‘We will never let Britain be a playground for states who want to spread fear, division and violence on our streets.’
Burnham and his team constantly trumpet his sharp domestic focus and determination to tackle the cost of living as his ultimate selling point. Many of those close to the MP for Makerfield argue that Sir Keir became disconnected from the problems haunting voters at home while concerning himself with matters on the international stage. How, then, has Burnham found ample time to grovel over Palestine but has yet to clear his diary for the domestic plight of British Jews? And not only Jews, it is important to add, but anyone who falls foul of the Islamist approval list.
The outpouring of adoration for Burnham from swathes of Labour MPs, left-wing activists and the Embassy for Palestine will probably only encourage the MP for Makerfield further down this path. But he would be wise to heed the warnings of senior Jewish community leaders, who I understand have told him through back channels that, whatever he says on Palestine, it will never, ever be enough.
Evidence of this never-enough trap is already mounting. While many Labour MPs gushed over their incoming leader’s video remarks, Burnham almost immediately faced accusations from the usual suspects – who are becoming increasingly influential in left-wing policymaking – that his statement did not go far enough. Following the video’s publication, for instance, the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign called for ‘decisive action’ to recognise ‘the reality of Israel’s genocide’, alongside a full arms embargo.
Backbenchers may be showering him with plaudits over Gaza for now. But as their base demands more and more, that praise will begin to wither unless further concessions are made. It is hardly implausible that the ultimate demand will be Israel’s complete dismantling as the world’s only Jewish state.
A Jewish community leadership source said: ‘Burnham is clearly concerned about supposed lost votes due to Gaza. His remarks last week won’t fix that. However far he is willing to go, there will be others, be it the Greens or Independents who will always be willing to call for ever more extreme rhetoric. For those tempted by these alternatives, he will never be able to go far enough on Israel.’
Unless and until Burnham takes far more decisive action against Islamists and radical Muslim preachers – beyond today’s proscriptions – the terror will continue. He will not be able to remain silent forever, even if confronting problems within parts of the Muslim community aggravates his supporters. Burnham can apologise all he likes, but the demands will keep coming – and growing louder. What courage, if any, he shows when that moment arrives remains to be seen.
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