{
  "id": 8217798,
  "title": "UK settlements ban: How conspiracy theory accusing Burnham of courting ‘Islamist voters’ went global",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/uk-settlements-ban-how-conspiracy-theory-accusing-burnham-of-courting",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-18T09:17:25.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Middle East Eye",
    "slug": "middle-east-eye",
    "url": "https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/uk-settlements-ban-how-conspiracy-theory-accusing-burnham-courting-islamist-voters-went-global"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "British politicians have claimed a recent government shift on Israel's foreign policy is a strategy to garner support from Muslim voters. Over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank over a three-year period, with sixty-six communities destroyed due to ethnic cleansing incited by senior Israeli ministers. The hope for a viable Palestinian state has been shattered by the E1 settlement programme. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, after seven weeks as foreign secretary, announced a trade ban on Israeli settlements, which was a major step towards aligning Britain with international law. This move was supported by 11 other middle-ranking countries, including France and Canada, marking a first foreign policy success for Britain since Brexit. However, the announcement was met with hostility from the right-wing UK press, who accused Burnham and Miliband of courting Islamist voters and kowtowing to their interests. This fictitious narrative about the Labour government's allegiance to British Muslims has become a global phenomenon, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu even branding the UK the \"Islamic Republic of Britain.\"",
  "summary": "UK settlements ban: How conspiracy theory accusing Burnham of courting ‘Islamist voters’ went global Submitted by Peter Oborne on Thu, 09/17/2026 - 13:19 Right-wing UK politicians have claimed government's foreign policy shift on Israel is a ploy to shore up support among Muslims. Now Israeli and American politicians are amplifying the narrative British Prime Minister Andy Burnham looks on during…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}