SCOTTISH Labour MSPs have called on Andy Burnham to issue a formal apology for Britain's war crimes in Palestine between 1917 and 1948.
Labour's Carol Mochan, Katy Clark and Pauline McNeill have joined forces with the SNP and Greens to press the Prime Minister to atone for Britain breaching international law during the period.
The letter draws on a 400-page legal petition submitted to the UK Government in September 2025 by the Britain Owes Palestine campaign on behalf of 14 Palestinians, which has received no response.
Drafted by leading human rights lawyers and academics, including Ben Emmerson KC, Danny Friedman KC, Avi Shlaim, and Victor Kattan, the petition calls on the Government to take responsibility for a series of international law violations during the Mandate period.
It also calls on the Government to admit Britain unlawfully failed to recognise Arab self-determination, lacked proper legal authority for the Balfour Declaration and the subsequent Mandate, and committed war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder, torture, arbitrary detention, and mass home demolitions.
The letter calls on the Prime Minister to acknowledge Britain’s historic role in creating the conditions for the ongoing horrors in Gaza and the West Bank, stating that an apology would mark an "honest turning point" and strengthen Britain’s hand in any future peace negotiations.
Mochan, Scottish Labour’s shadow minister for equalities and international development, said: “People across the country have watched events in Gaza and the West Bank with horror and asked how we arrived here. Part of that answer lies in decisions taken by our own governments a century ago. The evidence of British wrongdoing in this petition is comprehensive, serious and, so far, has been met with silence.
“No UK government has ever properly acknowledged what Britain did in Palestine between 1917 and 1948, but if we truly wish to have a role in creating peace in the region, it is time to be honest.
"Last year's recognition of Palestine was welcome; now Prime Minister Burnham should respond to these Palestinian petitioners and offer the apology that is owed."
McNeill added: "Britain controlled Palestine for 30 years, and the record of suffering during this period deserves an answer.
“Acknowledging this history, and its ongoing impact, would not weaken Britain, it would strengthen any claim we make to helping build peace. The Prime Minister Andy Burnham should give the petitioners a response and offer an apology.”
The Britain Owes Palestine petition was handed in at Downing Street last September, with organisers saying it detailed Britain’s “unlawful legacy” including the Balfour Declaration in 1917 which stated support for establishing a home for Jewish people in Palestine, “acting as an occupying power during its self-granted mandate” and “subsequent systematic abuse of the Palestinian people”.
Organisers added that it shows how “ongoing Palestinian suffering can be traced directly to Britain’s violations of international law during occupation and withdrawal”.
Lead petitioner 91-year-old Munib al-Masri, who was shot in the leg by British soldiers aged 13, said he had been “waiting” for this day for 83 years.
He said: “I still carry the scars from that day, and the whole of Palestine continues to deal with the consequences of British rule.
“I and the 13 other petitioners would like to see honest and constructive government engagement on this issue in our lifetimes. I am grateful to the members of the Scottish Parliament who are supportive of our cause and hope others join the growing coalition of policymakers in Holyrood and Westminster who continue to urge the UK Government to address its crimes in Palestine.”
SNP MSP Jenni Minto added: "Almost a year on, this petition has had no response, and that silence says a great deal about how the UK Government treats this part of its history. An apology would cost the UK Government very little, and it would mean a great deal to the petitioners and to Palestinians.”
The full letter is here:
Despite efforts to erase this history, the suffering in Palestine today is directly linked to Britain’s colonial legacy. In 1917, Britain issued the Balfour Declaration without legal authority and without the consent of Palestine’s Arab majority. For thirty years, British forces committed grave abuses against the Palestinian people, including torture, arbitrary detention and home demolitions, while systematically denying Arab self-determination.
The parallels to today are evident. In 1948, Britain withdrew from a crisis of its own making, having done nothing to prevent the atrocities and mass expulsions that followed.
Britain Owes Palestine submitted a 400-page legal petition to the UK Government in September 2025. Drafted by leading KCs and academics on behalf of 14 Palestinians, it documents systematic breaches of international law by British forces during the Mandate period. Despite nearly a year passing by, there is yet to be any response. As inconvenient as this history may be, Britain does itself a disservice by continuing to ignore it. Accountability is not weakness; it is the basis of progressive action to help secure peace in the region.
Andy Burnham now has the opportunity to do what his predecessor would not. A formal apology would not resolve this conflict, but it would mark an honest turning point and strengthen Britain’s hand in any future peace negotiations.
We call on the new Prime Minister to apologise so that Britain can begin to make peace with its own past.
Signed:
Munib al-Masri, Lead Petitioner, Britain Owes Palestine
Katy Clark MSP
Lorna Slater MSP
Jenni Minto MSP
Ross Greer MSP
Maggie Chapman MSP
George Adam MSP
Pauline McNeill MSP
Martyn Day MSP
Steven Bonnar MSP
Alan Brown MSP
Gillian Mackay MSP
Ariane Burgess MSP
Mark Ruskell MSP
Stuart McMillan MSP
Fulton MacGregor MSP
Paul McLennan MSP
Carol Mochan MSP
Kate Campbell MSP
Jack Middleton MSP
Pauline Stafford MSP
David Barratt MSP
Holly Bruce MSP
Iris Duane MSP
Kate Nevens MSP
Laura Moodie MSP
Q Manivannan MSP
Kayleigh Kinross-O'Neill MSP
