https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/08/03/burnham-sackman-justice-minister/
Back in March, the Labour government’s bill to restrict access to jury trials – a right enjoyed by English citizens for over 800 years – successfully passed its first reading. But last week, only hours after former Justice Minister David Lammy was dropped from Andy Burnham’s new cabinet, a Downing Street spokesperson announced that the newly coronated Prime Minister had no intention of following through with the plan.
Eyebrows were raised, however, at the ministerial re-appointment of Sarah Sackman, Keir Starmer’s ex-solicitor general and a key supporter of Lammy’s jury proposals. Sackman has previously worked as a foreign law clerk at the Israeli Supreme Court, and her grandfather once served as an ambassador for the settler state. Last week, Burnham extended her role in government with a re-appointment at the Ministry of Justice.
Sackman’s funders
At the end of June, and just eleven days after Burnham’s by-election victory in Makerfield, Sackman registered two new donations, each of £1250, from veteran pro-Israeli bankroller Trevor Chinn.
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Burnham continues Starmer’s legacy
Starmer will always be remembered for the military and diplomatic support he consistently lent to the Israeli state. But in December 2024, just over one year into the Gaza genocide, Sackman insisted that Starmer’s administration had “broadly got it right” on the issue of Palestine.
She made the comments in a public conversation with Adrian Cohen, LFI’s lay chair. Last Thursday, the controversial lobby group published a new paper suggesting that a ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements is “practically and politically impossible”.
LFI-affiliated MPs continue to dominate the Labour cabinet. On the issue of Palestine, Sackman’s re-appointment sends a loud signal to those who thought Burnham might change course.
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https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/08/03/burnham-sackman-justice-minister/
