Supporters of Yemen’s Houthi rebels in Sanaa, Yemen, September 18, 2026
ANTI-WAR campaigners have denounced Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s decision to back Saudi Arabia’s assault on Yemen.
Your Party parliamentary leader Jeremy Corbyn said the move formed part of a pattern of intervention in the Middle East under Mr Burnham.
The former Labour leader said: “Helping the US to bomb Iran. Now, helping Saudi Arabia to bomb Yemen. This is a terrible and shameful decision, which drags Britain further into conflict, deepens its complicity in Saudi war crimes and proves that no lessons have been learned whatsoever.”
The Stop the War Coalition also criticised the move, saying that “while the Trump administration has repeatedly said it will not actively militarily aid the Saudis, Burnham promises to help them ahead of his meeting with the president.
“The Prime Minister should be actively opposing Trump’s illegal war on Iran, not taking the UK further into Middle East conflicts.”
Ed Sheeran performs at Madison Square Garden on December 12, 2025, in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for iHeartRadio)
“The Ed Sheeran debacle will be seen as a turning point in pop culture complicity” with Israel, said one Palestinian-American writer, who described it as “a clear ‘South Africa moment.’”
Singer Ed Sheeran hoped to sidestep controversy by letting rapper Macklemore be removed from his tour over his pro-Palestine remarks. Instead, he’s sparked what one writer said could be a “turning point” for how pop culture engages on the issue of Israel and Palestine.
Sheeran responded to the backlash on Tuesday by claiming he was helpless to stop Macklemore’s ouster, which followed the intervention of the pro-Israel New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who rallied other NFL venue owners to bar Sheeran’s Loop Tour if the “Thrift Shop” rapper continued to perform.
Pro-Israel groups petitioned for Macklemore to be removed from the tour after a performance earlier this month in which he said, “Free Palestine,” and performed his song “Hind’s Hall.” The song refers to anti-Israel protests at Columbia University in 2024 and is dedicated to the 5-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab, who was killed by Israeli forces. She was one of more than 20,000 children who have been killed as part of Israel’s military campaign there, according to a UN commission.
But the other four openers said they would not abide what they viewed as elites’ political censorship of an artist speaking out against what humanrights groups have described as a genocide in Gaza and an occupation of the West Bank that is considered illegal under international law.
Each one of the artists announced on Tuesday that they would no longer tour with Sheeran.
🇵🇸 All of Ed Sheeran’s scheduled supporting acts have quit his Loop tour after Macklemore was removed for declaring “Free Palestine” and condemning Israel’s genocide during two MetLife Stadium shows.
“Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed,” said the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Finneas, who has vocally supported the plight of Palestinians for several years. “I stand with Palestine and its people.”
The Irish singer Aaron Rowe likewise withdrew from his upcoming shows with Sheeran, though he acknowledged he did not “take the decision lightly.”
“Ed has been a friend to me and has changed my life. I could never thank him enough for this,” Rowe wrote on Instagram. “But as Irish people, we know all too well about genocide, forced famine, and violent occupation.”
“I cannot stand by and allow billionaires to use their position of power to silence the rightful voices of those who speak up against Israeli genocide and who highlight the savage murder of children,” he continued. “I would lose all respect for myself to carry on as normal.”
The Danish pop band Lukas Graham also dropped from the tour, with frontman Lukas Forchhammer writing that artists “should be able to speak about war, about civilians being killed, about children who deserve to grow up. Wherever they live. Whatever flag flies over them.”
Forchhammer addressed Kraft, a multibillionaire, who gloated after the fact about having Macklemore blackballed and denounced his expressions of support for Palestinians as “hate speech.”
“Money doesn’t give you the right to own the conversation,” Forchhammer wrote. “Nobody’s bank balance should decide who gets to speak or which suffering we’re allowed to acknowledge.”
The Irish folk group Beoga—which helped to found the Irish Artist for Palestine Movement—was even more direct, calling out Kraft’s extensive history of donating to pro-Israel groups, including the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which has spent over $100 million attempting to influence the current election cycle, and supporting efforts to punish those who boycott Israeli products.
“It’s important that everyone knows that the real enemy is the Zionist lobby. They have worked tirelessly to silence artists who want to speak freely about a genocide happening before our eyes, for fear of retribution,” Beoga wrote. “Research how much Robert Kraft has done to fight the [Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions] (BDS) movement. That will give you a sense of what we’ve all been up against.”
“Up the workers. Free Palestine,” the group’s message concluded.
The exodus of Sheeran’s openers came as momentum built behind a “boycott” of his music spearheaded by the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, a group based in Ramallah in the West Bank, that helped to cofound the BDS movement.
The group called on Sheeran to “cancel his now compromised US tour” and said until then, artists, audience, and crew members should “boycott it.”
🗣️ Rep. AOC tells @hicharliecotton she is boycotting Ed Sheeran because she says he's complicit in Robert Kraft and other stadium owners' efforts to silence Macklemore. pic.twitter.com/zuISc3zaFs
In response to Sheeran’s explanation that he prefers not to publicly take sides on controversial political issues despite having opinions, the group noted his estimated net worth of more than $500 million and his massive platform as one of the world’s most recognized musicians.
“As South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu famously said, ‘If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor,’” the group said. “Sheeran had an opportunity to take a stand in solidarity with Palestinians, like millions of other British and Irish citizens have done, and refuse to cave to the pressure… He has so far failed to meet this ethical duty. But it is not too late to reverse course.”
Some Western politicians have joined the backlash and amplified calls for a boycott.
US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), considered a likely presidential candidate in 2028, told a reporter she’d be changing the radio station if Ed Sheeran’s music were to come on.
“When you see what Robert Kraft did to line up all the stadiums to censor speech in that one specific way, it’s become clear it’s not just about one music artist or two music artists,” AOC said. “This is about how just a handful of stadium owners and the elite can prevent an entire massive issue, in this case, the genocide in Gaza.”
“But it doesn’t stop there,” she continued. “It could be speaking out about AI. It could be speaking out about any issue, that you can now just get a handful of stadium owners to ensure that an entire person’s career can be jeopardized if they speak out about any issue.”
Zarah Sultana, a member of the UK Parliament and co-founder of the left-wing Your Party, added that the artists who left Sheeran’s tour are “on the right side of history.”
“At this rate, Ed Sheeran is going to end up with Boy George opening for him,” she joked on social media, referring to the singer who released a song this summer in support of Israel’s assault on Gaza. “No one deserves to be subjected to that.”
Kehlani commented on Macklemore’s post. She experienced the same form of cancellation for her support of Palestinian rights. Julie Menin and Ritchie Torres pressured Eric Adams to cancel her concert in Central Park. pic.twitter.com/6lnHkTLsP1
Backlash against Sheeran has expanded across the entertainment industry as well, with performers including the children’s entertainer Ms. Rachel and popular musicians Kehlani, Tones and I, Zara Larsson, PinkPantheress, and others rallying in support of Macklemore.
And as the music news site Consequence of Sound reported, even some of Sheeran’s hardcore fans are revolting. Three prominent Sheeran fan accounts on X, which boast nearly 50,000 followers put together, spoke in solidarity with Macklemore and encouraged Sheeran to use his platform to take a stand, with some vowing to stop covering his tour until he does.
“We hope that Ed can… reflect on everything that happened and understand that, in the face of certain injustices, remaining silent or trying not to choose a side is also a stance,” wrote the Brazilian account @EdSheeranBrCom, which has more than 45,000 followers.
Ali Abunimah, the Palestinian-American journalist who co-founded The Electronic Intifada, said in a social media post that he believed that “the Ed Sheeran debacle will be seen as a turning point in pop culture complicity” with Israel, which has seen public support in the US crater since 2023, to the point where Americans, especially younger ones, now say they sympathize more with Palestinians than Israelis.
Likening it to the massive cultural boycott movement against apartheid during the 1980s, Abunimah said the cultural revolt against Sheeran was “a clear ‘South Africa moment.’”
Prime Minister Andy Burnham departs 10 Downing Street, London, to attend his first Prime Minister’s Questions at the Houses of Parliament, September 9, 2026
BRITAIN is proud to be leading the way in challenging the Israeli occupation of Palestine, Prime Minister Andy Burnham told MPs today.
Speaking in the Commons a day after Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband had announced sweeping sanctions against Israeli settlements and denounced terrorist “ethnic cleansing” in Palestine, Mr Burnham said: “Britain is showing leadership.
“Words from any politician about a two-state solution will be only words if it’s not backed with action. And leadership is about taking action.
“Britain has to stand for something. Britain has to show leadership. Britain has to stand for fairness against injustice.
“Where people are being bullied out of their homes, intimidated, we will always stand with the underdog and take what action we can to support them.
“That is leadership on the world stage, Britain being true to what it’s always been about.”
Mr Miliband himself, basking in broad approval for his measures from Labour MPs for both his commitment to the new policy and for assembling support from France, Canada and elsewhere for it, brushed aside overwrought criticism of the sanctions from chief rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, who had claimed they were “a dark day for British Jews.”
The Foreign Secretary said: “I’m a proud British Jew, and I don’t agree with the chief rabbi.
“I believe that it must be possible to do what we did, which is to stand up for British values of the rule of law, of dignity for people, of the prevention of injustice, and do so in a way, as I did yesterday, to say to anyone in our country who holds British Jews responsible for the actions of the Israeli government, that is antisemitism, pure and simple.”
He made it clear that British firms and potentially Israeli banks involved in the construction or financing of illegal West Bank settlements would be hit by the sanctions.
“We are seeking to cut off the supply of the supply lines of British finance, British construction, for settlement expansion,” Mr Miliband said.
“This is about a clear purpose, which is to draw a line in the sand and to stop this infinite, ever-expanding settlement expansion.”
He also shrugged off as “regrettable” counter-measures announced by the Netanyahu government, including the closing of the British consulate in Jerusalem and the banning of 11 MPs from visiting Israel.
“I would prefer that Israel hadn’t announced what it did, but overall, I strongly believe that what we did, along with other international allies, was absolutely the right thing to do,” the Foreign Secretary said.
The MPs sanctioned stressed it would change nothing in their attitudes and actions.
Your Party parliamentary leader Jeremy Corbyn said in a statement: “I have visited all parts of Palestine on several occasions, where I have witnessed the horrors of occupation, as well as the resilience and humanity of the Palestinian people.
“They are the ones who suffer from Israel’s apartheid.
“Israel doesn’t want the world to see what it is doing — but we can never give up in our attempts to expose the truth.
“That is the real scandal. Israel’s genocide cannot go unpunished — and I will keep speaking up for peace, freedom and justice for the Palestinian people.”
Fellow Your Party MP Zarah Sultana said: “Israel has just banned me from entering.
“Given that this is a fascist government presiding over genocide, apartheid and an illegal occupation, I’ll wear it as a badge of honour.
“I will not be intimidated into silence. I will continue to speak out against Israel’s genocide and against the UK’s complicity. If anything, this ban only strengthens my resolve to keep speaking out.”
She added: “One day, I look forward to visiting Jerusalem not as an occupied city, but as part of a free and liberated Palestine.”
Bradford West MP Naz Shah called the list “rather random and, frankly, bizarre” and said she was “proud of the UK government’s actions today, taken in line with our international legal obligations.”
She pledged to continue to campaign for a two-state solution in Palestine.
Labour MPs John McDonnell, Diane Abbott and Richard Burgon were also on the list and all five Green MPs were sanctioned by Israel.
The Green Party said: “We will not be bullied into silence by the Israeli government.
“We are proud of our MPs for standing up for Palestinian rights and demanding an end to British complicity in genocide and illegal occupation.
“Banning our representatives only strengthens our resolve. The British government must stand firm and follow these overdue restrictions with a full arms embargo and wide-ranging sanctions.”
Activists wave Cuban and Palestinian flags from the vessel Maguro, arriving from Mexico with humanitarian aid as part of the “Nuestra America,” or Our America convoy, in Havana Bay, Cuba, March 24, 2026
Over 100 MPs call on PM to oppose Trump’s oil blockade on Cuba
MORE than 100 MPs have voiced “grave concern” over Donald Trump’s Cuba oil blockade, calling on PM Sir Keir Starmer to oppose the US president’s “collective punishment” of its civilian population.
Ministers were urged to reject Washington’s threat to slap tariffs on any other country that ships fuel to the island after it kidnapped Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in January.
The US has blocked Venezuelan oil supplies to Cuba’s socialist government, which said last week that it had not received any fuel in three months.
Your Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, Labour, SNP, Plaid Cymru, Green, SDLP, and Lib Dem MPs have now signed an early day motion by Labour MP for Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr Steve Witherden.
Mr Corbyn told the Morning Star: “The aim of the criminal and inhumane blockade by the US is clear: to starve the Cuban people into submission. They will not succeed.
“As much as the United States would wish otherwise, Cuba is not alone.”
They collectively called on the government to reject the “unjustifiable” sanctions and US claims that Cuba poses an “extraordinary” threat.
…
Socialist MP Richard Burgon, who was in Cuba this weekend delivering humanitarian aid with an international delegation, said: “In Cuba I saw the cruel consequences of Trump’s total ban on fuel entering the country, including its impact on the ability to provide healthcare to those in need.
“Cutting off fuel to an entire country is an inhumane attempt by Trump to strangle the Cuban people into submission. It is illegal and it’s putting lives at risk.
“The UK rightly votes against the US blockade at the UN each year, but that must now be matched with action. It should follow Spain’s example and provide emergency humanitarian aid.”
Green Party parliamentary leader Dr Ellie Chowns said: “Trump has intensified his threats against Cuba following the collapse of the island nation’s energy grid under a US-imposed oil blockade, declaring just yesterday that he believes he will ‘take’ the country and ‘could do anything [he] want[s] with it. This cannot continue.”
Cuba Solidarity Campaign director Rob Miller said his group is delighted with the number of MPs who have signed the motion, saying: “Together they represent over seven million UK constituents.
“We now hope the UK government will move quickly to send humanitarian support to Cuba, a country with which we have had full diplomatic and friendly relations for over 120 years.”
Donald Fuhrump says that Amerikkka doesn’t bother with crimes or charges anymore, not being 100% Amerikkkan and opposing his real estate intentions is enough.Elon Musk urges you to be a Fascist like him, says that you can ignore facts and reality then.Orcas discuss how Trump was re-elected and him being an obviously insane, xenophobic Fascist.
Supporters of Yemen’s Houthi rebels in Sanaa, Yemen, September 18, 2026
