Burnham appoints ex-Labour Friends of Israel chair as chief of staff

Andy Burnham, the new Makerfield MP and almost certainly the UK’s next prime minister, has appointed James Purnell as his chief of staff.

Purnell was the chairperson of parliamentary lobby group, Labour Friends of Israel (LFI), for two years.

The former MP was also DWP secretary under Tony Blair and has been described as the architect of Labour’s discriminatory ‘contributory principle’ on benefits. He has argued against vital benefits such as the Winter Fuel Allowance and free bus passes, dismissing them as “freebies”, and is linked to right-wing ‘Blue Labour‘.

His appointment is worrying for opponents of genocide and for anyone who is less well off and/or vulnerable.

Purnell backed right-winger David Miliband in the 2010 Labour leadership election, then became a BBC director under the Tories. He now runs corporate political lobbying firm, Flint Global.

Burnham faces circling sharks

The UK-Israel lobby has been circling ever tighter around Burnham in the run-up to his Makerfield bid and has since made clear it expects his compliance.

LFI, a nakedly pro-genocide group that has blamed Palestinians for their own murder, announced that it welcomed his win and looked “forward to working with” him.

Congratulations to @AndyBurnhamGM on his victory in the Makerfield by-election.

We look forward to working with you as you return to the Commons and wish you well as the new Labour MP for Makerfield. https://t.co/7HjUtTWMNA

— Labour Friends of Israel (@_LFI) June 19, 2026

All of this was already deeply worrying for those who want an end to Britain’s collaboration in Israel’s genocide, apartheid and regional wars, and Starmer’s war on anti-genocide speech. But Burnham appointing Purnell appears to signal that he has no intention of departing from his predecessor’s push to authoritarianism to protect Israel, or his war on the UK’s vulnerable.

Featured image via Georgina Capel Associates

By Skwawkbox