Burnham re-appoints former Israeli Supreme Court clerk as justice minister

Back in March, the Labour government’s bill to restrict access to jury trials – a right enjoyed by English citizens for over 800 years – successfully passed its first reading. But last week, only hours after former Justice Minister David Lammy was dropped from Andy Burnham’s new cabinet, a Downing Street spokesperson announced that the newly coronated Prime Minister had no intention of following through with the plan.

Eyebrows were raised, however, at the ministerial re-appointment of Sarah Sackman, Keir Starmer’s ex-solicitor general and a key supporter of Lammy’s jury proposals. Sackman has previously worked as a foreign law clerk at the Israeli Supreme Court, and her grandfather once served as an ambassador for the settler state. Last week, Burnham extended her role in government with a re-appointment at the Ministry of Justice.

Sackman’s funders

At the end of June, and just eleven days after Burnham’s by-election victory in Makerfield, Sackman registered two new donations, each of £1250, from veteran pro-Israeli bankroller Trevor Chinn.

Sackman has long been a favourite of wealthy lobbyists, receiving tens of thousands of pounds from ex-Labour Friends of Israel chair Jonathan Mendelsohn, former Israeli soldier Jonathan Kestenbaum, and the Grabiner family. Anthony Grabiner, who is not amongst Sackman’s donors, was one of the UK Lawyers for Israel patrons recently subject to a “legal intimidation” complaint.

What do Sackman and Burnham really care about?

On Wednesday, at an event organised by Jewish Care, a charity whose Life President is former Tony Blair bankroller Michael Levy, Sackman announced:

It was wonderful to welcome the Prime Minister back to Jewish Care in Golders Green this morning … As Andy said, this time we are going to get this right.

However, a professed passion for reforming the care system is not the only thing the pair have in common. One of the funders of Burnham’s 2015 Labour leadership campaign was Michael Sternberg, who has also financed the current Courts Minister.

From 2015-2024, Sackman was vice-chair of the Jewish Labour Movement, which states that one of its aims is:

to promote the centrality of Israel in Jewish life.

In 2015, Sackman said:

The issue of Israel is something that is deeply personal and emotional.

Sackman’s opposition to the ICC

In May 2024, Sackman opposed International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and defence minister Yoav Gallant, saying:

I trust the Israeli people to hold their leaders to account.

A 2025 Penn University poll recorded that 82% of Jewish Israelis supported the forced expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza. 47% agreed that the Israeli military should kill all inhabitants of enemy cities. This is the nation Sackman “trusts” to hold war criminals Netanyahu and Gallant to account.

Before entering politics, Sackman worked at Matrix Chambers with former attorney general Richard Hermer, who once declared that he has “dear family members” serving in the Israeli military. Last week, Burnham replaced Hermer with Ellie Reeves, a long-time supporter of the Labour Friends of Israel lobby group.

Burnham continues Starmer’s legacy

Starmer will always be remembered for the military and diplomatic support he consistently lent to the Israeli state. But in December 2024, just over one year into the Gaza genocide, Sackman insisted that Starmer’s administration had “broadly got it right” on the issue of Palestine.

She made the comments in a public conversation with Adrian Cohen, LFI’s lay chair. Last Thursday, the controversial lobby group published a new paper suggesting that a ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements is “practically and politically impossible”.

LFI-affiliated MPs continue to dominate the Labour cabinet. On the issue of Palestine, Sackman’s re-appointment sends a loud signal to those who thought Burnham might change course.

Featured image via Facebook

By Jody McIntyre

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