Jennifer Gerber, Andy Burnham's former special adviser (Image: LFI)(LFI)
The former mayor of Greater Manchester – and recently elected MP for Makerfield – looks set to become prime minister, possibly as soon as mid-July, following Sir Keir Starmer’s announcement on Monday that he intends to stand down.
There has been speculation about how different a Burnham premiership would look in comparison to Starmer’s as far as the Jewish community is concerned.
As mayor of Greater Manchester, he maintained good relations with the local community, but he also called on Starmer’s government to adopt more critical positions on Israel.
In October 2023, less than a month into the Gaza War, he, along with London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan and a minority of Labour MPs, urged Starmer to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, something denounced as “irresponsible” by communal organisations.
The former health secretary was also one of the prominent Labour voices who urged Sir Keir Starmer to recognise a Palestinian state, even though Israeli hostages were still being held by Hamas.
And one of Burnham’s key parliamentary allies, former transport secretary Louise Haigh, is an outspoken critic of Israel.
She told Parliament last year that “it is impossible to conclude that what is happening in Gaza is anything short of genocide” and urged the government to “immediately impose sanctions on Netanyahu and members of his genocidal regime”.
However, Burnham has been criticised by some left-wing parties for not taking sufficiently anti-Israel positions.
Earlier this month, the Green Party attacked him for refusing to label Israel’s actions in Gaza a “genocide”.
Yesterday, Your Party MP Zarah Sultana reacted angrily to footage from a husting event during the 2015 Labour leadership campaign in which Burnham said he’d make his first foreign visit as leader to Israel.
“In 2015, Andy Burnham said his first foreign visit as Labour leader would be to Israel - a genocidal, settler-colonial apartheid state that has massacred thousands of Palestinians over decades. So when is the flight to Tel Aviv booked for?” she said in a post on Facebook.
Burnham also looks set to appoint a former chair of LFI to become his chief of staff.
James Purnell, Burnham’s former cabinet colleague under Tony Blair, went on to serve in leading positions including at the BBC and University of the Arts London after leaving Parliament in 2010.
Although there is still the possibility of Burnham being challenged in the election to succeed Starmer, several Labour sources have told the JC this is incredibly unlikely and that several Labour factions have decided to back the MP for Makerfield rather than force a contest.
Earlier this week, there was speculation that Darren Jones, chief secretary to the prime minister, could launch a last-minute leadership contest.
However, in an interview with Sky News’ Beth Rigby, he ruled himself out of challenging Burnham.
However, Jones made what appeared to be a dig at former health secretary Wes Streeting, who earlier this week said he wouldn’t be standing for Labour leader and also backed Burnham, saying: “I was never planning or organising a leadership campaign like some of my colleagues were, I was getting on with the job as chief secretary to the prime minister.
"Andy Burnham is going to be the next prime minister. And if there was a contest of Labour Party members, he would win. So, the question for me is, well, what would the benefit be to the country and to the party of a leadership contest?”
Meanwhile, former defence minister Al Carns, who resigned earlier this month, refused to rule out standing himself.
On BBC Newsnight last night, he told presenter Victoria Derbyshire: "I think I'm pretty serious about this. This is not about me, this is about the seriousness of this country."
