New PM slashes fuel bills and culls Starmer deadwood, but peace activists warn that placing John Healey as new Chancellor shows ‘beyond doubt that the military industrial complex is in charge of Burnham’s economic policy’
Prime Minister Andy Burnham hosts his first Cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street, London, July 21, 2026
WE ARE a cost-of-living government, Prime Minister Andy Burnham told his new Cabinet today after slashing energy bills for millions.
Mr Burnham acted to cut VAT on energy bills at a cost of £850 million as his first major move in Downing Street after naming a new team purged of deadwood from Sir Keir Starmer’s government.
However, anti-war campaigners warned that his choice of inveterate warmonger John Healey as new Chancellor presaged a further attack on welfare, health and education.
In a joint statement, Stop the War Coalition and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament said: “To hand the Treasury purse strings to a man who demanded a £197 billion increase in arms and nuclear weapons spending demonstrates beyond doubt that the military industrial complex is in charge of Burnham’s economic policy.
“The arms dealers and generals are undoubtedly now in the cabinet. John Healey’s appointment as chancellor will inevitably mean huge fights over welfare, health and housing to come.
“None of the social and economic ambitions — tackling the cost-of-living crisis in particular — that Burnham claims to aspire to will be possible if an ever-growing portion of the economy is devoted to war and destruction,” the two campaigns stated.
Protesters hang banners outside RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire during a demonstration to oppose any use of the base by US bombers, March 7, 2026
CAMPAIGNERS against a US deep space radar being built in Pembrokeshire celebrated yesterday after the Welsh government agreed to call in the planning decision.
The Pembrokeshire Against Radar Campaign (Parc) said their lobbying work with Plaid Cymru ahead of the Senedd election had paid off, after Planning Minister Sian Gwenllian intervened before Pembrokeshire County Council’s planning committee was due to decide on the scheme next Tuesday.
The campaigners described the move as a “seismic and significant positive step” for the new Plaid Cymru government.
A Parc spokesperson said: “[The Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability] Darc is a proposal for a huge 27-dish radar array overlooking the St Davids Peninsula of the Pembrokeshire Coast national park.
…
“… the development is of more than local importance and the application should be determined by the Welsh ministers.”
The Welsh government also said that the decision to call in the planning decision was not an indication of the eventual decision.
But as this was a Ministry of Defence application to build the radar installation, it may put further strain on the relationship with Prime Minister Andy Burnham and his new Defence Secretary Wes Streeting.
The Welsh government also said that the decision to call in the planning decision was not an indication of the eventual decision.
But as this was a Ministry of Defence application to build the radar installation, it may put further strain on the relationship with Prime Minister Andy Burnham and his new Defence Secretary Wes Streeting.
dizzy: climate should instead be recognised and addressed as an overwhelming and immediate threat. For example recent and current weather experienced in UK is causing huge issues UK agriculture.
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People stage a pro-Palestinian demonstration and call on Labour Party leader Andy Burnham, who is preparing to take office as prime minister, to impose comprehensive sanctions on Israel, in London, United Kingdom on July 18, 2026. [Raşid Necati Aslım – Anadolu Agency]
Britain has a new Prime Minister at a moment when history is demanding more than carefully worded statements.
As Andy Burnham enters Downing Street, he inherits a foreign policy crisis that has exposed deep divisions over Britain’s commitment to human rights, international law and the protection of civilian life: Israel’s devastating assault on Gaza.
For Palestinians, this is not an abstract diplomatic dispute. It is a humanitarian catastrophe that has claimed tens of thousands of lives, displaced entire communities and reduced much of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure to ruins.
Many human rights experts, legal scholars and international organisations have warned that Israel’s actions may amount to genocide, with the International Court of Justice currently examining allegations brought by South Africa under the Genocide Convention. The debate over the legal determination continues, but the scale of suffering is undeniable.
The question now facing Britain’s new Prime Minister is whether the UK will continue responding with statements of concern or whether it will finally use its influence to demand meaningful action.
Thousands of people recently marched through London calling on Britain’s new leadership to take stronger action for Gaza, demanding an end to civilian suffering and greater accountability for those responsible. Their message was clear: Palestinians cannot survive on expressions of sympathy alone.
For decades, Britain has presented itself as a defender of international law and human rights.
British governments have condemned abuses committed by states around the world and called for accountability when civilian populations are harmed.
But principles lose their meaning when they are applied selectively.
The suffering of Palestinian civilians should not be treated as a diplomatic inconvenience or reduced to carefully balanced language. International law exists precisely to protect vulnerable populations, especially during moments of war and political pressure.
If Britain genuinely believes in a rules-based international order, then Gaza is a defining test.
The UK cannot demand accountability from some governments while shielding allies from meaningful scrutiny. Human rights cannot depend on political relationships.
Palestinians Need More Than Words
Humanitarian organisations have repeatedly warned of the devastating conditions facing civilians in Gaza.
Aid agencies have highlighted widespread hunger, displacement, the destruction of medical facilities and the collapse of essential services. ActionAid has called on Britain’s new Prime Minister to take urgent action to protect Palestinians, ensure humanitarian access and uphold international humanitarian law.
Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), which provides healthcare support to Palestinians living under occupation and conflict, has called on Britain’s new government to move beyond rhetoric and take concrete steps to protect Palestinian lives.
But humanitarian aid alone cannot address the root causes of this crisis.
The UK must use its diplomatic influence to demand an immediate end to actions that continue to devastate Palestinian civilian life.
This means supporting accountability mechanisms, ensuring British foreign policy does not contribute to violations of international law, and recognising that Palestinians have the same fundamental rights to freedom, safety and dignity as any other people.
Britain’s historical role in the Middle East gives it a particular responsibility.
The consequences of Britain’s decisions in the region continue to shape realities today, including the legacy of the British Mandate for Palestine and the events surrounding the creation of Israel in 1948.
That history does not mean Britain alone can solve the conflict. But it does mean Britain cannot claim neutrality while Palestinians continue to endure immense suffering.
A meaningful foreign policy requires more than managing diplomatic relationships. It requires moral courage.
The UK has significant influence through its diplomatic relationships, its position at the United Nations and its international standing.
That influence should be used to protect civilian lives—not simply preserve political alliances.
For many Palestinians, Muslims and human rights advocates in Britain, trust in Westminster has been severely damaged.
Many feel that Palestinian lives have been treated as less valuable and that the language of human rights has been applied inconsistently.
This is the challenge facing Andy Burnham’s government.
The new Prime Minister has an opportunity to demonstrate that Britain’s commitment to human rights is not selective, and that Palestinian suffering will not be ignored because confronting it is politically difficult.
History often judges governments not only by the crises they inherit, but by how they respond when confronted with injustice.
Gaza represents such a moment.
The question is whether Britain’s new leadership will look away, offer cautious statements, or take the steps necessary to protect Palestinian lives and uphold international law.
Palestinians do not need another government expressing concern while the destruction continues.
They need action.
Britain has a new Prime Minister. Now it must act on Palestine.
The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.
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Israeli security forces take measures along the road as Israeli settlers, protected by Israeli forces, block roads leading to Palestinian farmers’ lands in the town of Izna, near Hebron in the West Bank, Palestine on July 10, 2026. [Wisam Hashlamoun – Anadolu Agency]
The UN on Monday warned against the “escalating” Israeli occupiers’ attacks on Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank, saying the violence has continued to cause casualties, property damage and displacement, Anadolu reports.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, during a news conference, said that “we are warning against escalating Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians as they continue to cause casualties, property damage, and displacement.”
He said the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) personnel on the ground have “documented an attack in which two Palestinians were killed, and others injured” in the occupied West Bank on Saturday.
He stressed that “the Palestinians across the occupied Palestinian territory must be protected,” and added that “the killings and violence must stop, and perpetrators must be held to account.”
In recent years, violent occupier attacks in the West Bank have become a daily phenomenon, with little action taken against the perpetrators.
According to official Palestinian figures, escalating attacks by the Israeli army and occupiers in the occupied West Bank since October 2023 have killed 1,181 Palestinians and injured nearly 13,000 others, while around 24,000 Palestinians have been arrested.
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Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. He’s challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham hosts his first Cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street, London, July 21, 2026
