Exclusive: Zomlot says years of public pressure drove UK Labour Palestine shift

Palestinian Ambassador to the UK Husam Zomlot has welcomed Labour’s shift on Palestine, telling The New Arab that the government has finally acknowledged that the British public “were right and they were wrong”, as Prime Minister Andy Burnham recommitted the UK to securing a two-state solution.

Burnham, who took office 10 weeks ago, used his conference speech on Tuesday to back the Palestine policy set out by Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband a day earlier, pledging that his government would be “principled in our leadership in securing a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine”.

The remarks followed Miliband’s acknowledgement on Monday that pro-Palestine activists “were right” to protest Israel’s war on Gaza, marking a shift in tone after sustained pressure on Labour over its approach to Israel and Palestine.

On the sidelines of the Labour conference in Liverpool, Zomlot told TNA that Burnham’s speech had “brought a great deal of unity in the party” and expressed hope that the rhetoric would now translate into government policy.

“I hope this is a moment of unity and clarity of the direction for Palestine,” he said, adding that the government’s policy shift “came a bit late, but at least they have acknowledged that the British people were right and they were wrong.”

Palestine has been a key issue for Labour since it came to power in 2024, with activists demanding tougher action against Israel over its war on Gaza, which has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians.

Zomlot credited sustained public pressure with helping drive the shift, saying support for Palestine had come first and foremost from the British public.

“The solidarity with the Palestinian people has been primarily by the people, and now finally governments are converging, and this reminds us of South Africa and the anti-apartheid movement,” he told TNA.

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign also responded to Burnham’s commitment by urging the government to put Palestinian rights at the centre of any political settlement.

James Tuite, a campaigns officer for the group, told The New Arab that ensuring those rights were upheld was “what the British government needs to be working towards to ensure”.

Burnham also recommitted the UK to supporting Ukraine and said his government would “stand up to threats wherever they come from, whether Russia, Iran, or anywhere”.

Fending off Reform

Alongside his foreign policy commitments, Burnham used the speech to set out a series of domestic policies as part of his efforts to draw “a line on a decade of division”, while addressing the electoral challenge posed by Reform UK.

Electoral reform featured prominently, with Burnham addressing a political landscape in which Reform had been polling above 30 percent and in first place before his premiership.

Although he did not name Reform explicitly, Burnham warned: “We will all have failed in our public duties if we carry on as we are and open the door of Number 10 to a divisive government on less than 30% of the vote.”

He announced that a national commission on electoral reform would be established and promised that electoral reform would become a manifesto pledge for Labour at the next general election.

Burnham also used the issue of migration to reopen the debate over the UK’s relationship with the European Union, telling delegates: “We have to be honest. Brexit hasn’t given us control.”

While backing his government’s efforts to tackle small-boat crossings and migration, Burnham also addressed rising anti-migrant sentiment in the country.

“We will always be grateful, and we thank them, for those people who come here, and contribute to our country. Thank you to them,” he said.

Burnham said he would use an upcoming summit with the EU to lay out several options for a long-term partnership with the bloc and seek a national consensus on which one to pursue.

Other issues raised in the speech included plans for the UK to lead globally on artificial intelligence, build a new education system that brings greater parity between academic and technical skills, reform social care and bring water into public control.

Burnham also defended the union of the four nations that make up the UK, challenging Scottish First Minister John Swinney’s claim that he would be the last leader of the United Kingdom.

He ended by urging Labour members to rally behind his government, saying it was “time to draw a line, to move beyond a decade of drift and division, to bring a spirit of unity and positivity to our country”.