Darren Jones, an ultra-loyalist and one of the most senior cabinet ministers in Keir Starmer’s government, has said that Andy Burnham was right to apologise over the previous administration’s handling of Gaza.

In an interview for The Real Question with Shehab Khan, Jones, who served as Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister in Downing Street just a few months ago, referred to Starmer’s infamous LBC interview where he said Israel had the right to turn off Gaza’s power and water supply and said Burnham’s apology was the right move.

“He wanted to repair the relationship of the voters off the back of the interview… Andy Burnham is right to apologise for that, no question.”

Jones, who was also the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, also revealed that he considered quitting from the cabinet over the fallout from Lord Mandelson’s appointment as US Ambassador, after reading reports that the Labour peer had been given the job despite the UK Security and Vetting Office advising against it.

“I thought, if it turns out that Keir or the team in Number 10 knew and appointed him anyway, then there was no way I was going to stand up and defend that. And so I was on the train going back to London thinking, if they knew that, I’m going to resign today.”

The government ultimately claimed Starmer did not know, so Jones stayed on. Instead, Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, and the most senior civil servant in the Foreign Office, Olly Robbins, both lost their jobs.

In the wide-ranging interview, Jones also talks about:

* Keir Starmer’s handling of Gaza

* His personal relationship with Lord Mandelson

* The freebies scandal and ‘rookie errors’ that led to Starmer’s demise

* Whether the government is equipped to deal with rapidly developing AI models.

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The mothers of two of the “Filton Four” – Palestine Action activists jailed after a break-in at an Elbit Systems site near Bristol that caused £1.2 million worth of damage – have spoken out over the use of terrorism legislation in their daughters’ cases.

In a wide-ranging interview for ‘The Real Question with Shehab Khan’, Sukaina Rajwani, mother of Fatema Zainab Rajwani, and Emma Kamio, mother of Leona Kamio, discussed their daughters’ convictions, imprisonment and the consequences of the judge’s finding that their offences had a “terrorist connection”.

Kamio was sentenced to six years in prison, while Rajwani was sentenced to five years and eight months. Both were convicted of criminal damage, rather than a terrorism offence, but a “terrorist connection” was used for sentencing purposes.

The mothers say the finding has had far-reaching consequences for their daughters, including for their imprisonment, release arrangements and restrictions following their sentences.

Amnesty International has criticised the decision, saying criminal damage had not previously been treated as terrorism within the UK justice system.

Here are the other topics Shehab discussed with Sukaina Rajwani and Emma Kamio:

* The night of the action at the Elbit Systems site near Bristol

* Their concerns about the trial process and restrictions on what the defendants could say in court

* Their daughters’ experiences in prison and the consequences of the terrorism-related sentencing

* The families’ appeal against the terrorism-related element of the sentences and their hopes for the future

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The Palestinian ambassador to the UK has told Zeteo UK that British ministers have told him tougher restrictions on arms exports to Israel are coming.

In an interview on ‘The Real Question, with Shehab Khan’ - conducted the day after the UK announced sanctions on illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, Husam Zomlot said he was expecting further measures to follow soon. He said: “I’ve heard directly from the foreign secretary and from the ministers in the foreign office, and from several counterparts, that there will be a new regime for the arms trade, much tighter… much tighter.”Zomlot, who was previously the Palestinian Envoy to the United States, said he believed there had been a shift in priorities since Andy Burnham had replaced Keir Starmer as prime minister.

Here are some other topics Shehab discussed with Ambassador Zomlot:

* Israel’s reaction to the new sanctions

* The UK’s involvement with the Board of Peace

* Britain’s unique role in Palestine’s history

* His personal experience of the genocide.

Paid subscribers can watch the interview above in full, without a paywall. Free subscribers can watch a three-minute preview.Consider becoming a paid subscriber to unlock content like this from Shehab Khan, and a lot more else from Zeteo UK!

Note: This interview was conducted on 9th September.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would be arrested if he landed in the UK and Sir Ed Davey was running the country.

In a wide-ranging interview - the first for ‘The Real Question, with Shehab Khan’ - Sir Ed, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, said he would enforce the ICC arrest warrant if he was Prime Minister and was critical of the government for not sanctioning illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank much earlier.Sir Ed, who in 2024 delivered the Liberal Democrats their best result in a century, had previously served as a cabinet minister during the Tory/Lib Dem coalition years and said he hopes to get the Liberal Democrats back in government.

Here are some other topics Shehab pressed Sir Ed on:

* The UK’s future relationship with the European Union.

* The Labour government’s decision to proscribe Palestine Action.

* Future coalition agreements that the Liberal Democrats are - and are not - considering.

* His personal experiences of the UK’s social care system.

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