Britain’s newly appointed Prime Minister Andy Burnham delivers a speech outside 10 Downing Street after taking office, in London on July 20, 2026 [Isabel Infantes/Reuters]
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One of the main issues that has torn Labour apart for over a decade has been Palestine. On July 9, before his confirmation as the new prime minister, Burnham decided to address the issue in a video posted on social media, saying Labour “didn’t get it right” and needs to “do better” on Gaza.
So will he indeed “do better” on Palestine and everything else that Labour has gotten wrong over the past decade? Unlikely. That is because complicity in Israel’s genocide is deeply entrenched in the British political infrastructure. It requires radical change – something which Burnham is not offering.
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On foreign policy, Labour’s complicity in the Israeli genocide in Gaza will haunt the party for a generation. Starmer will be remembered for saying the Israeli army has “the right” to cut off water and electricity to a besieged population, and his government – for continuing arms sales to the Israeli regime, including components for the F-35 jets that have caused untold death and destruction in Gaza.
Burnham is not the outsider his PR machine is selling. He has been a member of Labour Friends of Israel since 2015, when he described the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement as “spiteful” and pledged that Israel would be the first country he visited as leader of Labour.
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His allies include Josh Simons, former director of the Labour Together think tank that engineered Starmer’s rise and helped purge the party of its pro-Palestinian left flank, often under the pretext of tackling anti-Semitism. The irony is that this same period saw Jewish members of the party investigated and expelled at several times the rate of non-Jewish members.
In May, Simons resigned as MP so that Burnham could run in and win a special by-election for his parliamentary seat, which enabled him to pursue the leadership of Labour and the prime minister’s post. The influence Labour Together figures retain around Burnham tells us that the machinery behind Starmer’s leadership has not been dismantled so much as quietly repositioned.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham admits to blatently lying and engaging in deception to become leader of the UK Labour Party and Prime Minister.Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun (L) hold a joint press conference following their bilateral meeting at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkiye, on July 30, 2026. [Doğukan Keskinkılıç – Anadolu Agency]
Turkiye is “closely” following diplomatic initiatives seeking an end to Israel’s attacks and occupation, said the nation’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday, Anadolu reports.
“We assessed how Turkiye could contribute to these efforts. We also discussed opportunities to further develop our bilateral relations in various fields. We believe that the growing dialogue between Lebanon and Syria will benefit both countries. We stand ready to make the necessary contribution to strengthening relations between the two countries, which have had a difficult past,” Erdogan said during a joint news conference with visiting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.
Following the withdrawal of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, Turkiye wants to play an active role in all initiatives aimed at safeguarding Lebanon’s sovereignty, Erdogan added.
The Turkish president said that he is very pleased to host Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in Turkiye and thanked him for making the first visit to Türkiye by a Lebanese head of state in 17 years.
Noting that Aoun is also a highly experienced military leader, Erdogan said he regarded Aoun’s election as president earlier this year as a significant step toward strengthening security in Lebanon and wished him success in his tenure.
Recalling Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s visit to Istanbul earlier this month, Erdogan said today’s meeting with Aoun addressed regional developments, “particularly in light of the ongoing Israeli occupation in southern Lebanon.”
“We continue our strong support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our friend and brother Lebanon, with which we share deep ties,” he added.
Erdogan noted that Lebanon has long endured the consequences of serving as a battleground for regional rivalries and conflicts.
He added that Lebanon would be among the countries to benefit most from the environment of stability, peace and cooperation that Türkiye has sought to establish in the Middle East from the beginning.
Aoun said on Wednesday that discussions are continuing over a possible international force to replace the UN force in southern Lebanon, with proposals including European, Turkish, NATO-backed, Arab, and Islamic participation.
He said Lebanon’s priority is preventing a power vacuum and ensuring that any new force supports the Lebanese army, safeguards stability, and respects national sovereignty.
Turkiye has previously contributed to the naval wing of UNIFIL, the current UN force.
Pointing out that the death toll in Lebanon has exceeded 4,300 since March 2, 2026, while more than 2,000 people have been injured and 1 million have been forced to flee their homes, Erdogan once again offered his condolences to the Lebanese people.
“Turkiye has been among the countries to respond most strongly to the attacks from the first day,” he noted.
“We will continue our support for strengthening Lebanon’s institutional capacity and also maintain our humanitarian and technical assistance,” said Erdogan.
Turkiye stands ready to provide “all possible support” for the reconstruction of southern Lebanon after the Israeli attacks end, he added.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Palestine Action and Defend Our Juries protesters outside Westminster Magistrates’ Court, London, July 30, 2026
AT LEAST 50 people were arrested outside Westminster Magistrates’ Court today as they demanded the ban on Palestine Action be lifted.
An estimated 200 protesters prepared to read a statement inviting support for the proscribed group as a review hearing began for the prosecution of 1,579 people under section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000, for holding signs in support of Palestine Action during mass silent vigils in Parliament Square last year.
It is understood that at least four arrests were made before the action started, two under section 13 for articles of clothing and two for setting up a small stage.
From midday, a programme of speakers took place, with many being arrested while speaking.
Among them was Sir Jonathan Porritt, a campaigner and author who served as director of Friends of the Earth and was an adviser to current King Charles III for more than 30 years
Ahead of the protest, deputy assistant commissioner Andy Valentine said: “The law is clear. Expressing support for proscribed organisations is a criminal offence and anyone doing so can expect to be arrested.”
Protesters wore red to echo the jumpsuits worn during direct actions organised by Palestine Action, many of which targeted weapons factories to disrupt arms supply to Israel amid its genocide.
A Defend Our Juries spokesperson said: “We had hoped to see a different response from the Met Police today, but yet again they are embarking on making hundreds of arrests of regular people who refuse to do nothing as the judiciary criminalised those who act to save lives as terrorists.
“These arrests, like that of thousands of others, 1,855 of whom were listed as needing to appear in court today, are an assault on our democracy, our civil liberties and our moral obligation to step in to prevent genocide.
“We urge the new PM to stop this insanity, at a time when there is so much positive work to be done in our country, Andy Burnham needs to put a stop to huge sums of taxpayer money being used for these arrests and prosecutions that the public at large do not support.”
As arrests continued, court records revealed that Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori will be permitted to challenge the proscription at the Supreme Court.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel. New Labour UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham continues Labour party policy of active support and complicity in Israel’s genocide.
Charlotte Head speaking outside Woolwich Crown Court in 2026 | Filton24 Defence Committee
My lawyer faces jail over a speech to jurors – a first in English history – as state seeks to silence Palestine solidarity
Editor’s note: Shortly after this piece was published, Rajiv Menon was granted a last-minute stay on his appeal. His case will now be heard in September.
England prides itself on its legal system, supposedly a pinnacle of fairness, neutrality and justice.
Having faced two trials and 18 months’ incarceration before a verdict was even reached, I’ve witnessed the falsity of these claims. Today will mark another low: the lead barrister on my case, Rajiv Menon, will appear at the Royal Courts of Justice accused of contempt of court over remarks he made in a closing speech to the jury.
If found guilty, he’ll face up to two years in prison.
This is the first time in English legal history that a barrister has been prosecuted for defending their client in this way. The Garden Chambers, where Menon is a KC, has said it is “extremely concerned about the chilling effect on the Bar of the state seeking to criminalise barristers for their representation of their clients”. The Criminal Bar Association (CBA) has warned that other lawyers are now afraid of doing their jobs.
“[They] have become uncertain and scared of what they can and can’t say; scared that somehow they might be – at the end of a trial where they have faithfully represented their client themselves – facing a charge of criminal contempt,” said Riel Karmy-Jones KC, chair of the CBA. “It is starting to feel like it’s about the politics of the subject matter of the trial, rather than the core principles of how a barrister represents his client.”
That has certainly been my experience.
In August 2024, I entered an Israeli weapons factory in Filton, Bristol, along with other activists. We destroyed military drones created by Elbit Systems: quadcopters set to be exported for use in Israel’s illegal genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza.
Any nation found to be supporting or abetting those committing a genocide is complicit and culpable under international law; there are legal precedents that allow an offence to be committed to prevent a greater offence occurring, as we did at Filton. Yet upon arrest we were held incommunicado for almost three weeks in counter-terrorism custody, which the UN warned may amount to ‘enforced disappearance’.
We were presented at magistrates’ court, charged with criminal damage, violent disorder and aggravated burglary. These were ordinary offences, but Judge Johnson later granted himself the right to use a ‘terrorism connection’ at sentencing. We were denied bail and imprisoned under the Terrorism Act. Johnson introduced reporting restrictions to ban the media from mentioning that, if the jury found us guilty, he could sentence us as terrorists, which would drastically lengthen our jail time and impact our futures. Jurors were also not made aware of this fact.
Despite the restrictions, media coverage of our case blew up during my 18 months in custody awaiting trial, with grand accusations made about my co-defendants and me.
In June 2025, five months before our trial, Yvette Cooper, then the home secretary, discussed her decision to proscribe Palestine Action in the Commons. She specifically acknowledged that she could not discuss our case “to avoid prejudicing future criminal trials”. Yet just moments earlier, she had referred to the “attacks at […] Elbit Systems UK in Bristol”, saying Palestine Action had “committed acts of serious damage to property with the aim of progressing its political cause and influencing the government”.
Two months later, Cooper went further still. In an Observer article titled “Palestine Action ‘is not lawful protest’”, she referenced the charges in our case, which she said, “in the assessment of the independent Crown Prosecution Service, [had] a terrorism connection”. She also accused Palestine Action of “intimidation, violence, weapons, and serious injury to individuals”.
Given that our trial had yet to take place, it seemed a case of putting the cart before the horse – and one that risked prejudicing jurors. Given Cooper’s position in government and the role she played in the legal proceedings to proscribe Palestine Action, it is inconceivable that she did not understand the reporting restrictions surrounding our trial. She has faced zero repercussions for what may amount to breaking the law on contempt of court.
For Rajiv Menon, the sole KC for the defence, it is a very different story.
At our trials, a heavy burden fell on Menon’s shoulders as he and the other defence barristers were forced to contort themselves to keep up with Johnson’s ever-increasing restrictions on what he deemed permissible as evidence.
As well as being prohibited from telling the jury about the terrorist connection, we were forbidden from referencing material the prosecution had included in its own evidence bundles. Elbit’s actions in supporting Israel’s genocide were deemed irrelevant.
In his closing speech, Menon reminded the jury of their role. He spoke about the case of Penn and Mead in 1670, which saw a jury imprisoned and fined for contempt of court after acquitting two Quakers of unlawful assembly. As Menon said, that case it is the cornerstone of the British legal system as we know it – it established the right of juries to make decisions freely and without threat of repercussions.
Menon also spoke emotionally and passionately about my background and how I ended up involved in this action, highlighting the centrality of the Palestinian cause to my motivations. His has since been dubbed a historic speech by legal professionals and the public alike.
Charlotte Head speaking at a protest for Gaza in Hackney | Filton24 Defence Committee
On 4 February, after 36 hours of deliberating, the jury found us not guilty of aggravated burglary. It was unable to reach a verdict on the other charges of criminal damage and violent disorder. Two weeks later, we were released.
Around this time, the Crown Prosecution Service announced it would seek a retrial and Johnson advised that he would refer Menon for criminal proceedings, a fact that could only be reported on last week.
Johnson alleged Menon committed contempt of court by referencing a plaque commemorating the Penn and Mead case, which highlights “the right of juries to give their verdict according to their convictions”. This plaque isn’t hidden, it’s in the entryway of the Old Bailey, where our trial would have taken place had it not been for space and timetabling constraints. Our jurors would have had to pass it several times a day.
Menon was not threatened for being inaccurate; he was persecuted for jeopardising what has become a lynchpin case in the British state’s war against Palestine Action.
The crucial question is why. Why was a government minister – the home secretary, no less – allowed to publicly and repeatedly prejudice our right to a fair trial and get away scot-free, whilst a renowned human rights lawyer was punished for doing his job?
Did the government feel the Filton defendants were too close to winning, thereby undermining its proscription claim? Did it want to issue a warning, to create a chilling effect on legal professionals and defendants in subsequent trials? Or is our legal system simply a two-tier system, where those in power are above the law and the rest of us can be punished for simply being irksome?
During our retrial earlier this year, further restrictions were placed on the scope of evidence. The jury was told that in that courtroom, Justice Johnson was the law – and in a courtroom, the law is tantamount to God.
We were found guilty of criminal damage. We had never been charged with terrorism, yet Judge Johnson sentenced us as terrorists on 12 June. I am serving six years in prison and will face a further 15 years on notification once I am released, during which time I will have to regularly check in with the authorities, and will have to register any new device, bank account, telephone number, email address, vehicle, relationship and overseas travel plans with the police for the rest of my life.
The UK abolished the divine right of kings long ago; but it is alive and kicking in our legal system. The privileged few in the upper echelons are permitted to bend the law to breaking point to further the government’s political agenda. The same people are trying to rob the British public of the right to a jury of their peers by blaming jury trials for our backlogged court systems. It is not juries that are the problem; it is our courts that are beleaguered by pressure from those in Parliament, the intelligence services and the police.
The Home Office has interfered with our case again and again in a bid to shore up its proscription of Palestine Action by using us as political scapegoats. Yet, for his work in defending me, my barrister may be disbarred and potentially face prison time himself.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel. New Labour UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham continues Labour party policy of active support and complicity in Israel’s genocide.Vote Labour for Genocide.
Israeli forces intervene in a commemoration ceremony held by foreign and Israeli activists for Palestinian activist Awde Hadalin in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron, West Bank, Palestine, on July 28, 2026. (Photo by Wisam Hashlamoun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“Settler attacks are now the leading cause of Palestinian injuries in the West Bank,” said the Carter Center.
United NationsHuman Rights Office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani on Wednesday issued a dire warning about violence being carried out in the occupied West Bank by both Israeli armed forces and Israeli settlers, which she said is “only getting worse.”
Noting that eight Palestinians, including a boy, have been killed in the West Bank in just the last week, Shamdasani decried actions taken by the Israeli government to tighten control of the occupied territory and expand illegal settlements.
“Settlers and Israeli security forces, often acting together, have attacked local communities, assaulting families, destroying and confiscating property, and burning mosques,” said Shamdasani. “Movement restrictions are now tighter, blocking Palestinians from reaching essential services.”
The UN Human Rights spokesperson also expressed alarm at “open calls by Israeli leaders for revenge and collective punishment against Palestinian communities, accompanied by threats to turn the West Bank into another Gaza.”
Shamdasani encouraged the international community to “act urgently and in unison to halt the continuing killing and dispossession of the Palestinian people, and to bring an end to the Israeli occupation.”
In a Tuesday statement, the Carter Center similarly highlighted rising Israeli settler violence in the West Bank, pointing to a recent report from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimating an average of six settler attacks per day against Palestinians.
“Settler attacks are now the leading cause of Palestinian injuries in the West Bank,” the center explained, “and more than 3,200 Palestinians have been displaced by settler attacks and home demolitions this year—double the daily rate of the previous three years.”
The center likewise urged the international community to “take urgent diplomatic, legal, and economic action to pressure Israel to fulfill its obligations under international law to curb settler violence, ensure accountability, protect civilians, and end policies that enable settlement expansion and annexation.”
According to the anti-occupation Israeli group Peace Now, officials on the Higher Planning Council on Wednesday were scheduled to discuss authorizing more than 1,200 housing units in four West Bank settlements, which would bring the cumulative number of housing units approved this year to over 8,000.
This comes on top of the nearly 28,000 housing units approved by the council last year, which Peace Now described as “an unprecedented record and the highest annual figure since the establishment of the settlement enterprise in the West Bank.”
Peace Now added that the Israeli government has significantly sped up the process for approving new settlement construction in recent years after scrapping earlier rules requiring the Israeli defense minister to sign off on new building projects in the occupied territories.
“In recent weeks, we have witnessed a change where the Higher Planning Council meets every week and approves several hundred housing units in each meeting,” explained Peace Now. “In this way, the government seeks to normalize planning in settlements and attract less public and international attention and criticism.”
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it’s fun to kill everyone … unless he gets distracted or falls asleep.Orcas discuss how Trump was re-elected and him being an obviously insane, xenophobic Fascist.Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel. New Labour UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham continues Labour party policy of active support and complicity in Israel’s genocide.
Palestine Action and Defend Our Juries protesters outside Westminster Magistrates’ Court, London, July 30, 2026
