The Board of Deputies of British Jews issued a statement on Friday expressing concern over recent remarks made by Andy Burnham, a possible Labour Party candidate to replace Keir Starmer as the prime minister, saying they fell short of adequately addressing the rise in antisemitism in the U.K.
“We welcome his [Burnham’s] zero tolerance approach to antisemitism, affirm his assertion that there is no contradiction between fighting antisemitism and disagreeing with actions of the Israeli government, and share concern for the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip,” the statement reads.
However, tackling antisemitism requires addressing the “Islamist, far-left and far-right extremists” who channel their hatred at Jews and Israelis directly, the statement continues.
“These voices build on distorted or one-sided portrayals of the situation in Gaza and its causes, and ceaseless attempts to single out the world’s only Jewish state.”
The largest Jewish organization in the U.K. stressed that as then-Manchester mayor during the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation attack in 2025, in which two people were murdered and three others wounded, “Burnham knows firsthand the links between hatred of Israel, antisemitic extremism and deadly violence against British Jews.”
The Board of Deputies added that it is looking forward to the opportunity to discuss these matters with Burnham and his team in the near future.
The Board of Deputies and @JLC_uk have conveyed concerns to Andy Burnham's team following his statement yesterday.
— Board of Deputies of British Jews (@BoardofDeputies) July 10, 2026
We welcome his commitment to tackling antisemitism, but it cannot be confronted without addressing all its drivers, including extreme hatred of Israel that builds… pic.twitter.com/lYwjq9xdrB
On Thursday, Burnham, in an interview with The Guardian, apologized for his party’s initial response to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza in the aftermath of the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.
“I know many people feel that at the start of Israel’s military action in Gaza my party didn’t get it right and I am sorry about that. The response has too often not been good enough. We need to do better,” he said.
“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 ceasefire. And we must now do more to strengthen our approach,” he went on to say.
Shortly after Hamas’s invasion of the northwestern Negev, incumbent Prime Minister Starmer expressed support for the Jewish state’s right to withhold power and water from Gaza, which triggered a storm within the Labour Party.
“Hamas’s actions are terrorism and Israel has the right to defend herself. Israel has the right to do everything it can to get those hostages back safe and sound. Hamas bears responsibility,” Starmer said at the time.
