Burnham rejects Corbyn's call for public inquiry into 'British complicity' in Gaza genocide
The UK government has rejected a call by Jeremy Corbyn MP for an independent inquiry into "British complicity" in Israel's genocide in Gaza.
The former Labour leader wrote to Prime Minister Andy Burnham in July calling on him to back a bill for a public Chilcot-style inquiry into British military, economic and political cooperation with Israel over the course of its ongoing onslaught in Gaza which began in October 2023.
The bill, which was rejected by former Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government during its second reading last year, specifically sought a probe into the British government's "supply of weapons, surveillance aircraft" to Israel as well as its use of Royal Air Force bases.
The independent MP revived the bill in July, following Starmer’s resignation, and called on Burnham for his support.
But Burnham’s government rejected the call in response to a written question on Monday, saying that a tribunal isn’t necessary as there are “extensive mechanisms already available for parliamentary accountability and oversight”.
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“Andy Burnham rightly said that the last Labour government 'got it wrong' over Gaza,” Corbyn said in a statement on Tuesday.
“However, his words will mean very little if he doesn’t break with the last government’s shameful record of complicity, secrecy and evasion”.
The UK has supplied Israel with arms during the course of its military operation in Gaza, which is confirmed to have left more than 74,480 people dead and has involved ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from their homes in various parts of the territory.
Britain’s Royal Air Force has also conducted hundreds of surveillance flights over Gaza and supplied Israel with intelligence for its operations.
“Delaying scrutiny will not make questions about British complicity in genocide disappear,” Corbyn wrote.
“The public deserve to know the full extent of Britain’s military, economic and political cooperation with Israel, including arms supplies, surveillance flights and the use of RAF bases.
"It’s not complicated: if the government has nothing to hide, then why block our efforts to expose the truth?”
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