The UK’s new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, came under fire recently from the Shadow Justice Secretary, Nick Timothy, in response to the appointment of Andy Slaughter, an MP fiercely critical of Israel with a long record of pro-Palestine activism, as the new Solicitor General. Timothy described it as an “absolute disgrace” and said it “beggars belief” that Labour would give control of the government’s legal department to someone who had “sympathy for Hamas.”
Timothy’s remarks were referring to the recent resurfacing of photos following the appointment showing Slaughter with Hamas associates.
The Solicitor General serves as a core legal adviser to the government and helps oversee public-interest functions, including granting specific legal consents for certain terrorism-related prosecutions.
So, who is Andy Slaughter and what does his past record tell us about his positions on Israel and the Middle East conflict and related topics?
Slaughter and former Labor Party leader Jeremy Corbyn posed alongside Hamas associates Mohammed Totah, Ahmed Attoun, and Khaled Abu-Arafehat at a meeting in Jerusalem during a fact-finding trip to the region in November 2010 sponsored by Friends of Al-Aqsa and Middle East Monitor (Memo).
Slaughter reportedly claimed to have met with Faraj al-Ghoul, Hamas’s Justice Minister, and Dr Ahmed Yousef, Hamas’s Deputy Foreign Minister, during another undeclared visit to Gaza with the Britain-Palestine All Party Group.
Both Yousef and al-Ghoul were later assassinated by Israel during the war that followed the October 7 massacre.
Slaughter wrote in a 2010 article shortly after meeting with Hamas associates that Israel should negotiate with Hamas “without preconditions.”
“A whole generation is growing up in conditions that are a breeding ground for intolerance and aggression, as we saw last week," Slaughter wrote. "One way to break the deadlock is to negotiate without preconditions with those who have a mandate and a willingness to achieve progress. From my experience now on several visits to the region in the past three years, this includes Hamas.”
Slaughter accuses Israel of killing civilians
On numerous occasions, Slaughter has said on his X/Twitter account that the Israeli military indiscriminately kills civilians.
The UK’s Jewish News website reported in November 2015 that Slaughter was alleged to have made remarks implying that Israel “fabricates and invents” reasons to kill Palestinians during a meeting of the Palestinian Return Center in October.
In January 2024, a few months into Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, Slaughter told the UK parliament, "The Minister says Israeli military action should be targeted on Hamas leaders and operatives. He knows better than anyone it is not.”
Slaughter added that “ending trade with illegal settlements is, as a matter of fact and law, unrelated to boycott, divestment, and sanctions."
In February 2025, Slaughter urged the UK government several times to respond to the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) advisory opinion.
The ICJ advisory opinion refers to the case brought forward by South Africa to the ICJ against Israel during its war against Hamas, accusing Israel of committing genocide. In July 2024, the court delivered an advisory opinion declaring that Israel's presence in the Palestinian territories was unlawful and must be brought to an end.
Israel to blame for PA textbook antisemitism, Slaughter claims
The Campaign Against Antisemitism reported in June 2021 that Slaughter was among numerous MPs who “appeared to excuse antisemitism in Palestinian Authority textbooks” during a Parliamentary debate following the publication of an EU Review into Palestinian school textbooks which revealed anti-Jewish racism within the curriculum.
Slaughter reportedly blamed Israel for the textbooks' antisemitism. Slaughter conceded that there were “regrettable passages” in the textbooks but went on to say: “Above all, there is an inequality of arms. What the Israelis have been able to do to the Palestinians over 53 years of military occupation, with 650,000 Israelis in illegal settlements, and many other things during this crisis, needs to be addressed. That is the real root of the problem that has to be dealt with.”
Slaughter has long advocated in parliament for the UK to suspend arms supplies to Israel, including throughout 2025 during its ongoing war in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran.
Slaughter addressed parliament on May 15, 2018, by acknowledging that it was Nakba Day and “the seventieth anniversary of the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.”
In the same speech to parliament, Slaughter proceeded to tell the chamber that “Israel chooses to mark it by escalating the murder and maiming of civilians in Gaza” and called for the suspension of arms sales to Israel.
Slaughter’s comments referred to Palestinians who had been protesting and rioting at the Israel-Gaza border as part of the March of Return protests, which began in March 2018, attempting to breach Israel’s border fence.
New Solicitor General promotes boycott goods from settlements
While Slaughter campaigns for an arms embargo against Israel, he has also claimed while speaking to parliament, “I have never been a particular supporter of BDS because it is a blunt weapon.”
For many years, Slaughter has promoted the boycotting of goods from Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
Slaughter said during a speech to parliament in May 2018, “We should address the specific issues where Israel has got it wrong, and where we have got it wrong. One is on recognition; another is on trading with settlements.”
Jewish communities have campaigned globally for governments and institutions to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism in order to combat growing anti-Semitic incidents. In 2018 Slaughter voted against the Labour party's adoption of the IHRA definition.
Slaughter celebrated in September 2025 the UK’s recognition of the state of Palestine. Slaughter participated in the opening of the embassy, located in his London constituency in Hammersmith, where he serves as the Labour MP for Hammersmith & Chiswick.
Slaughter has long engaged in pro-Palestinian activism with various local activist groups, including the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), where he has led up front at marches and spoken to crowds.
Slaughter voted in favor of proscribing Palestine Action as a terrorist group. The group was banned under the Terrorism Act 2000 following a government assessment that its sustained campaign of direct action, property damage, and attacks against defense firms and national infrastructure crossed the legal threshold for domestic extremism and terrorism.
Slaughter says he believes that lasting peace is to be achieved through “recognition of both states, adherence to international law, and an end to occupation.”
Ultimately, Slaughter’s elevation to the role of Solicitor General places an official with a long-standing record of critical positions on Israel into a key governmental advisory post. Given his historical advocacy for arms embargoes, settlement goods boycotts, and unilateral Palestinian state recognition, his tenure introduces a prominent critic of Israeli policy into the heart of Britain’s legal establishment.