The new Prime Minister is being urged to haul Britain away from the corrupting orbit of the US/Israel coalition and repair the domestic rifts caused by neoliberalism and far right politics.

In a no holds barred letter sent to Andy Burnham today, the founders of Convivencia UK, an inter-faith coalition supporting a just peace in Palestine based on one democratic state, lay out the immediate policy imperatives confronting the PM.

With regards to foreign policy, Britain must end its complicity in the US/Israeli genocide in Gaza and the illegal military aggression against Iran. PM Burnham must steer the country on a different course to the one chosen by his predecessor in respecting international law and extracting Britain from the unholy US/Israel alliance.

As the architect of the Palestine problem, Britain has a moral responsibility to right its imperial wrongs and reset its approach to one seeking justice and equality for Palestinians.

At home, PM Burnham is urged to implement his pledge to instil a ‘national sense of unity, of common purpose and positivity’, by rolling back the damage wrought by years of neoliberal politics including the advance of far right discourse and policy.

Racisms have permeated all levels of society and Britain is riven by discord and hatred. Instead of implementing the recommendations of the Stephen Lawrence and the Mubarek Enquiries regarding institutional racism and Islamophobia, politicians have pushed back against their findings with a concerted assault on multiculturalism itself, ultimately leading to a highly fractured society in which mob violence is being openly incited against Muslims and migrants.

The letter sets out a series of demands which include a review of the recent imposition of flawed definitions of Islamophobia and antisemitism and reviews of national equalities bodies (such as are left) and policies.

“As someone who has claimed he is committed to changing the fortunes of this beleaguered nation, we expect you to confirm explicitly what this entails, and to enact it accordingly,” says the letter. “If you do not, this new ‘national unity’ will become a welcome boon for far-right politics, a politics that has become normalised in state policy for decades.”

The full version of the letter is available to read here.

[ENDS]

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