Andy Burnham faces a row with both Donald Trump and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyhau over sanctions on Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
Foreign secretary Ed Miliband is expected to set out a “reset” of the UK’s relations with Israel in a Commons statement on Tuesday, as No10 takes a tougher stance on the issue of Palestine.
Ministers have suggested goods coming out of the illegal settlements in the West Bank, a Palestinian territory, could be subject to trade restrictions as part of the changes.
Mr Burnham discussed the Middle East with Mr Trump in a phone call on Monday ahead of the intervention, which risks drawing criticism from Washington, Israel’s closest ally.
A Downing Street readout said Mr Burnham had set out “the UK’s commitment to working towards peace and security in the region” and stressed the importance of the two-state solution, but made no mention of how the president responded.
The Times reported that the Trump administration would make a statement attacking the intervention.
Tensions in the West Bank have flared in recent months, with Israeli settlers involved in violent disputes with Palestinians.
Minister denies Miliband announcement will be ban ‘by the backdoor’ on all Israeli goods
A government minister has insisted today’s sanctions on illegal Israeli settlements will not amount to a boycott of all Israeli goods.
Work and pensions minister Pat McFadden was questioned on how to government will be able to differentiate between goods from Israeli settlements and others from Israel itself.
Asked if the policy could result in a “boycott of Israeli products by the backdoor”, he told Sky News: “We don’t want to do that. The foreign secretary will set out the details of how this will operate when he stands up in Parliament this afternoon.
“But I think it’s also important to say that Israel is an important trading partner for the UK.
“This isn’t intended to be a boycott of all Israeli goods.”
Athena Stavrou8 September 2026 07:39
Tory minister says trade ban is ‘performative posturing’
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said the Government’s announcement on sanctions on Israeli settlements in the West Bank was “performative posturing”.
The Conservative MP told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We think it’s performative posturing.
“It’s very difficult to distinguish goods that come from the West Bank area versus the rest of Israel. So practically, it’s very difficult to implement.
“It also risks damaging an important security relationship because we do rely, the UK relies, on Israel for vital information and intelligence about terrorist threats.
“But I would also like to say, that said, we do oppose the building of settlements on land which is Palestinian, whether that’s sponsored by the Israeli state or simply allowed to happen, because we do think a two-state solution is the right solution, and building settlements on Palestinian land is obviously wrong.
“But this performative sanctions is not the right thing to do.”
Holly Evans8 September 2026 07:35
Full story: UK to announce trade ban with illegal Israeli settlements
The government is set to unveil a ban on the trade of goods and some services from illegal Israeli settlements after promising to take a tougher stance in support of Gaza.
It is understood that foreign secretary Ed Miliband will make the announcement in the Commons on Tuesday as part of a reset of Britain’s relations with Israel.
The decision comes in response to controversial plans in the occupied West Bank, in which Israel issued tenders for 1,200 homes as part of the E1 settlement project.
Read the full article here:
UK to announce trade ban with Israeli West Bank settlements
Move expected to be announced by foreign secretary on Tuesday set to draw fierce criticism from the US and IsraelHolly Evans8 September 2026 07:31
What to expect from Miliband’s announcement today
Ed Miliband is set to announce sanctions on illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including a trade ban.
The foreign secretary will first unveil the plans to Cabinet at the government’s weekly Downing Street meeting at 9:30am this morning.
He will then lay out the plans to parliament in a ministerial statement this afternoon.
The prime minister discussed the intervention with US president Donald Trump on Monday, in a move which risks drawing criticism from Washington.
Athena Stavrou8 September 2026 07:27
Policing minister gives update on far-right anti-migrant protests in Dover
Harriette Boucher8 September 2026 07:00
‘Difficult 24 hours’ for Portsmouth residents, says local MP
Residents in Portsmouth have had a “difficult 24 hours” amid the anti-migrant demonstrations, the MP for Portsmouth South has said.
Stephen Morgan said constituents were concerned both about the “thuggish behaviour” from protestors as well as the wider issue of small boat crossings.
“People are obviously very upset by what happened yesterday,” he told ITV. “I’ve been on the ground talking to local people, to businesses, to the police about what we’ve seen.
“Democratic engagement is vital in our country and so are protests but they need to be fair. They cannot overstep the mark and that’s what we’ve seen down in Portsmouth.
Asked how surprised he was by initial reports, he said: “It’s obviously surprising what happened overnight and the government is working extremely hard to smash the gangs and reduce the number of small boats coming into the UK.
“I understand people’s frustrations and anger about small boats coming into this country.”
Harriette Boucher8 September 2026 06:00
Small boat migrant crossings: What the numbers tell us about 2026 so far
The number of migrants who have reached the UK after crossing the English Channel so far this year is more than 40 per cent lower than at this point in 2025.
Last month, The Independent took a look at the latest available data for crossings and the long-term trends.
Year-on-year comparisons
Some 14,526 migrants have arrived in the UK by crossing the Channel in small boats this year as of August 1, according to provisional figures from the Home Office.
This is 43 per cent below the number of arrivals at this stage last year, which was 25,436.
It is also 14 per cent below the number at this point in 2024, which was 16,903.
Looking further back, this year’s total is only slightly below the number of migrants who had arrived by this stage in 2023, which was 14,732.
The record for the largest number of migrants to arrive in the UK in a calendar year is 45,774, which was set in 2022.
This year’s current total of 14,526 is 15 per cent below the figure at this point in 2022.
Overall, 207,159 migrants have arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel since data began on January 1 2018.
Of these, 127,919 (62 per cent) arrived under Conservative governments and 79,240 (38 per cent) came under the current Labour government, including 2,057 (1 per cent) since Andy Burnham became prime minister.
Read more here:
Small boat migrant crossings: What the numbers tell us about 2026 so far
Some 14,526 migrants have arrived in the UK by crossing the Channel in small boats so far in 2026Harriette Boucher8 September 2026 05:00
ICYMI: Burnham tells Labour MPs ‘we must stop politics of poison’
Andy Burnham said Labour has a “solemn responsibility” to stop the “politics of poison seeping into our streets”.
Speaking to the Parliamentary Labour Party at a closed-doors meeting in Parliament on Monday evening, the prime minister said there was “a lot at stake” requiring the party to “counter fear with positivity and hope”.
He said Labour could “change this country for the better” and must “never accept the narrative that there’s nothing we can do”.
Setting the tone ahead of Labour’s annual conference, he said the focus would be on bringing back hope and laying out more detail about the next phase of his administration, which would be “boldly, authentically, confidently Labour”.
Harriette Boucher8 September 2026 04:00
Migrant protest founder confronts Reform UK over Farage’s ‘knuckle-dragger’ jibe
The founder of a group of protesters who blocked roads in Dover on Saturday has confronted Reform UK’s Zia Yusuf, telling him his party leader Nigel Farage needs to be “careful with his words”.
Daniel Thomas, known as Danny Tommo – who is an associate of ring-wing activist Tommy Robinson, claims to have organised a protest in Dover on Saturday which saw men in black clothing and balaclavas blocking roads.
He was also on the scene when migrants arrived in Portsmouth on Sunday.
Interrupting Mr Yusuf during an interview in the city, Mr Thomas accused Mr Farage of calling protesters at the Unite the Kingdom rally in London earlier in the year “knuckle-draggers”.
He said: “You have to tell Nigel… we had a million people on the streets of London in every colour, every creed, every background, every ethnicity… he called us knuckle-draggers.
“I understand Nigel is going to be prime minister one day and I understand he has to set a standard, which will basically be that you know he can’t just come out and say everything’s great and these guys are fantastic, but Nigel needs to be very careful with his words.”
Migrant protest founder confronts Reform UK over Farage’s ‘knuckle-dragger’ jibe
Daniel Thomas claims to have organised a protest against migrants in Dover which saw dozens of men in black clothes and balavlavas block roadsHarriette Boucher8 September 2026 03:00
More than 600 migrants arrived on small boats on Sunday – Home Office
Some 625 people arrived in the UK on small boats on Sunday, Home Office figures released on Monday afternoon show.
They crossed the English Channel on eight boats and were brought to shore at Dover and Portsmouth.
The figures includes individuals who are detected on arrival in the UK or are detected in the channel by authorities and subsequently brought to the UK.
There were no arrivals in the six days prior, according to the data.
Harriette Boucher8 September 2026 02:00NewerOlder
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