CAAT: Does Andy Burnham's record on defence align with his recent rhetoric?

As the UK welcomes its sixth Prime Minister in ten years, questions are mounting over what a Burnham government would actually look like. His recent admission that Labour “didn’t get it right” on Gaza provides a glimmer of hope, but does his track record align with his rhetoric?

To map what a Burnham government might look like, we analyzed his 25-year career through a CAAT lens, tracing his key moments and decisions from his early days in Westminster to the present day.

Burnham entered Parliament in June 2001, representing Leigh. A loyal Blair government MP from the outset, he voted against his own party just 6 times out of 1,003 votes in his first term.

Voted For Iraq War (2002–2003) 
Burnham voted twice in favour of UK military involvement in the Iraq War, resulting in the deaths of 600,000 – 1,000,000 people.

Voted Against Iraq War Inquiry (2003 & 2016) 
Having voted for the war, he then voted against holding further investigations into it. The Chilcot Inquiry eventually reported in 2016 after years of delay; Burnham’s opposition to earlier inquiries is on the record.

Voted For Trident Renewal (2007 & 2016) 
Voted three times in favour of renewing the UK’s Trident nuclear weapons system.

West Bank Visit (2012) 
Burnham Visited the occupied West Bank with Labour Friends of Palestine and the Council for Arab-British Understanding – described as “visibly shocked” upon encountering the scale of the occupation, settlements, and military infrastructure.

Opposed Military Action in Syria (2013) 
Backed Labour’s more restrictive approach to military action in Syria, citing legal concerns over the absence of a UN mandate.

Voted For Airstrikes in Iraq (2014) 
Burnham backed the government’s motion to extend UK airstrikes against targets in Iraq in September 2014.

Opposed Airstrikes in Syria (2015)
When David Cameron sought to extend those same airstrikes into Syria, Burnham said he was “struggling with whether action in Syria would be legal”

Joined Labour Friends of Israel (2015)
Despite his experiences visiting the West Bank three years prior, Burnham joined Labour Friends of Israel during his first Labour leadership campaign, further stating Israel would be his “first foreign destination” if elected Labour leader.

At a leadership hustings, Burnham applauded Israel as a “democracy that has a long history of protecting minorities and promoting civil rights”, adding that the Balfour Declaration is “an example of British values in action”.

MBDA Funding (2015)
The Canary reported that one of the financiers of Burnham’s 2015 Labour leadership bid was Howard Borrington, who was then Director of UK Government Affairs at arms firm MBDA. MBDA manufactures wing components for GBU-39 bombs, which have been used extensively by Israel in the genocide on Gaza.

Gaza Ceasefire Statement (October 2023) 
On 11th October, Keir Starmer made the infamous statement that Israel ‘had the right’ to withhold power and water from Gaza. On the 27th October, Burnham issued a statement with Greater Manchester council leaders calling for a ceasefire – expressing ‘profound concerns about the loss of thousands of lives in Gaza.’ Though this was breaking away from Starmer’s call for mere ‘humanitarian pauses’, the same statement also stipulated that Israel has the right to take ‘targeted action within international law’.

Palestinian State Recognition (June 2025)
Burnham co-signed a letter demanding UK government action to protect the two-state framework. The UK government went on to recognise a Palestinian state in September 2025.

In June 2026, Burnham won the Makerfield by-election, returning to Westminster for the first time since 2017.

Guardian Interview (5 June 2026)
In an interview with the Guardian, Burnham was asked directly whether Israeli actions in Gaza constituted genocide. He replied: “I can’t judge things of that enormity from where I am as mayor of Greater Manchester.”

The question must be asked: Does the pulpit of 10 Downing Street now provide a sufficient vantage point to finally make a sound judgement on the actions of the Israeli government?

James Purnell Appointment (24 June 2026)
Burnham appointed James Purnell as his Chief of Staff. Purnell, former chair of Labour Friends of Israel, had left his position as chief executive of Flint Global (a lobbying firm for arms manufacturers and large oil companies) to join Burnham’s team. While both were junior ministers under Blair, it was only Purnell who had spent his summer holidays as a student, working as a research intern for Tony Blair. Burnham is not his only high-profile ally; Peter Mandelson maintained a close relationship with Purnellover decades, fondly calling him “one of my boys.” He now holds one of the most influential positions in the country.

My Party Didn’t Get it Right (9 July 2026)
In a video message, Burnham said: “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.” He also stated that the government had taken “important steps” including “restrictions on arms licences to make sure that no British bombs or bullets can be used by the IDF in Gaza or in the West Bank.” In fact, the Labour government had suspended around 30 arms licences out of a total of 350. It continued to allow Elbit Systems to operate factories on British soil and continued to allow the sale of F-35 components to Israel.

First Downing Street Speech (20 July 2026)
In his first speech as PM, Burnham said that he would “honour our commitments on defence to our international partners.”

What do these commitments look like?

NATO spending targets - the UK currently spends 2.3% of GDP on defence. Under pressure from Trump, it has ‘committed’ to 2.5% by 2027 and 3.5% by 2035.

The US-UK special relationship - the open general licences, the base access arrangements, the integrated arms supply chains. Must all this continue, as the status quo?

The Defence Investment Plan - Burnham inherits a Defence Investment Plan committing £298bn over four years – the largest sustained increase in UK defence spending since the 1980s. The Times reported that Burnham had to find ‘almost £7 billion of cuts to schools, hospitals, road and energy projects to pay for increased defence spending in one of his first acts as prime minister.’

The Burnham government is, as of today, one day old. What we know is this: he has made commitments on arms to Israel that his predecessors never made. He has acknowledged Labour’s failures on Gaza in a way Starmer never did. Rhetoric alone will not close export licensing loopholes, end the supply of British F-35 components into genocidal wars, or or stop public taxpayer money from being funnelled into the balance sheets of arms manufacturers.

Although he has surrounded himself with Blairite allies and arms lobbyists, Burnham does have the opportunity to do things differently. Whether he chooses to is, in large part, down to the pressure applied to him.

Now is the time to invest your efforts. Write to your MP’s. Complete the e-actions. Take part in campaigns. Spread the information. Push this campaign forward, and help us put a final end to the arms trade.

Keep an eye out in the coming days as we break down the key personnel appointed to Burnham’s Cabinet – evaluating what their past records mean for future UK arms exports, foreign policy, and defence spending.

As disillusioned as we all are, optimism is always punctuated with caution. But there does exist a slight reflection of the glimmer of hope, and we all ought to take fast advantage of it.

Warm Regards,
Hassan