ANDY Burnham has been urged to back former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s call for an independent inquiry into the UK Government’s complicity in the Gaza genocide.
In a letter to the MP hopeful, who is gunning to replace Keir Starmer as prime minister, Corbyn also asked whether Burnham would end British military co-operation with Israel and impose sanctions on Tel Aviv.
Expressing his support for some of Burnham’s policies as Manchester Mayor, Corbyn said he agreed with the Labour politician’s “comments on the failures” of previous governments, including the privatisation of public services.
He added: “It is widely reported that, if elected the MP for Makerfield, you intend to run for the Labour leadership and replace Keir Starmer as Prime Minister.
“I am therefore writing to ask whether your government would establish a full, independent, public inquiry into Britain’s role in Israeli operations in Gaza.”
He also called on Burnham to block arms sales to Israel and end the sharing of intelligence with Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
Noting Burnham’s call for a ceasefire in October 2023 which saw him speak out against the “widespread suffering” caused by the Israeli siege on Gaza, Corbyn added: “The Government has been complicit in this widespread suffering, and has wilfully attempted to block our efforts to expose the truth.”
Corbyn previously pushed Starmer’s government to hold an independent inquiry but was unsuccessful.
In response, he launched his own investigation – the Gaza Tribunal – which heard evidence from experts including a former Foreign Office official and international law experts.
Its report was published in March and found that Britain had failed to fulfil “every single legal obligation” it faced as Israel committed genocide in Gaza.
Burnham was fervently pro-Israel during his time as an MP. He was a member of Labour Friends of Israel and when he was standing against Corbyn in the 2015 leadership contest said that his first foreign trip if he won would be to the country.
Burnham was approached for comment.
