ANDY Burnham has been urged to "come clean" on several military flights to Israel that have been authorised since he entered office.
Independent journalist Matt Kennard highlighted how Burnham sent his first military plane to Tel Aviv last week from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus.
Meanwhile, Burnham has authorised at least eight flights to go from RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk to Israel since becoming Prime Minister, with all but one of these having their operators withheld.
Kennard told The National Burnham's comments that Labour "didn't get it right" over Gaza and need to be better have been "exposed as a sham".
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the A400M Akrotiri flight was to resupply embassy staff but did not comment on the other flights when approached by The National.
Kennard said: "Andy Burnham's comments on Labour getting Gaza 'wrong' have been exposed as a sham within a couple of months of his tenure as prime minister. He should come clean and the British media should demand answers.
"I found that since Burnham became Prime Minister, he's authorised at least eight Stratotankers to go from RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk to Israel.
BREAKING: Since @AndyBurnham became PM on 20 July, he's authorised at least 8 military planes to go from RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk to Israel All of them, apart from one, had their operator withheld July 24, July 28 (2), July 31, August 8, August 16, August 18, August 26 pic.twitter.com/IUxixGYfib
— Matt Kennard (@kennardmatt) August 30, 2026
"Mildenhall is ostensibly an RAF base, but it is in reality a US Air Force base. Seven of these planes had their operator withheld, which means we don't know who was operating them. The one that had the operator was US Air Force but as it's a UK base, the British government will have to approve any action that is potentially legally dubious.
"Flying military planes to a country whose prime minister is indicted by the ICC for war crimes and crimes against humanity would qualify.
"This all goes to the heart of something deeper within the British governance system. The surface political structure has close to zero impact on how Britain exercises it foreign policy. There is a whole area of the state, involving its military and intelligence agencies, which is impervious to changes in personnel or party in Number 10.
"On foreign policy, Burnham is continuity Starmer who was continuity Sunak who was continuity Johnson. Our system does not allow for any different."
Another flight went from RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk to Israel on August 11 – a C-17 operated by the US Air Force.
Burnham said Labour "didn't get it right" over Gaza and the party need to do better, while his First Secretary of State Louise Haigh has previously said it is "impossible to conclude that what is happening in Gaza is anything short of genocide".
But both have been accused of "failing to show leadership" on Israel.
Before he became prime minister Burnham acknowledged Labour had recognised a Palestinian state, imposed restrictions on arms exports and sanctioned some Israeli ministers, but suggested a government under his leadership would go further.
He added that action would include “looking at further sanctions, both on those involved in the violence in Gaza, but also looking at measures to ban trade in goods with illegal settlements”.
It was reported last week Burnham is expected to soon approve a ban on goods linked to Israeli settlements.
The MoD did not wish to provide comment when approached by The National.
