Who is Andy Slaughter, UK's Labour Party's new anti-Israel Solicitor General? - explainer

The United Kingdom's new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, faces significant backlash following the appointment of Andy Slaughter as the new Solicitor General. Slaughter, a Member of Parliament, is known for his strong criticism of Israel and a long record of pro-Palestine activism.

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an absolute disgrace

Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy condemned the appointment, calling it an "absolute disgrace" and expressing disbelief that Labour would entrust the government's legal department to someone perceived to have "sympathy for Hamas." Timothy's remarks were amplified by the resurfacing of photographs showing Slaughter with Hamas associates.

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beggars belief

Slaughter's past activities include attending meetings with Hamas figures during trips to the region. Reports indicate he met with Hamas's former Justice Minister Faraj al-Ghoul and Deputy Foreign Minister Dr. Ahmed Yousef. Slaughter himself wrote in a 2010 article that Israel should negotiate with Hamas "without preconditions," arguing that such dialogue was necessary to break the deadlock in the region.

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sympathy for Hamas

Furthermore, Slaughter has repeatedly accused the Israeli military of killing civilians on his X/Twitter account. The UK's Jewish News website reported in 2015 that Slaughter allegedly suggested Israel "fabricates and invents" reasons to kill Palestinians. These past statements and associations have fueled the controversy surrounding his new role as a core legal adviser to the government, responsible for public-interest functions including certain terrorism-related prosecutions.

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A whole generation is growing up in conditions that are a breeding ground for intolerance and aggression, as we saw last week. 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.