Green Party Faces Membership Exodus After Controversial 'Zionism is Racism' Vote

The Green Party is grappling with a significant membership decline, having lost nearly 20,000 members in less than six months, a situation exacerbated by an internal anti-Semitism crisis.

The party's membership numbers have fallen sharply since its annual conference passed a motion titled "Zionism is Racism." This resolution effectively calls for the abolition of Israel and has been interpreted by critics as equating the belief in a Jewish right to an ancestral homeland with racism.

The controversy has led to a backlash, with local councilors defecting from the party. Drew Creek, the leader of Cornwall Greens and Newquay mayor, recently switched to the Labour Party, stating the motion had "crossed a line" and that the Green Party leadership, including leader Zack Polanski, had "doubled down" in support of it.

"I didn't leave the Green Party; the party left me," Creek stated. He is one of at least ten Green councilors who have left the party over the resolution, with others defecting to the Liberal Democrats or choosing to sit as independents.

The policy was passed by a small faction of Green activists at the conference, a move that dismayed many members. The motion, backed by a group called Greens for Palestine, garnered only 1,022 votes, a small fraction of the party's nearly 200,000 members.

This exodus has translated into a substantial financial impact. According to a Sky report, the party faces an estimated £110,000 annual loss in income for every 1% of members who quit. The party's paid-up membership has dropped by 8% since the spring.

Zack Polanski, the Green Party leader, has seen his personal approval ratings slump, with 52% of the public reportedly holding an unfavorable view of him. When questioned by the BBC, Polanski asserted that polling indicated "the vast majority of Green voters from 2024" supported the policy, but he also expressed a desire to amend it "at the first available opportunity."

In response to the growing concerns, the Green Party announced the formation of a working group, which will include Polanski and his deputies Mothin Ali and Rachel Millward. This group is tasked with discussing improvements to the party's democratic systems. Meanwhile, Adrian Ramsay, the Green MP for Waveney Valley and a former leadership contender, is reportedly leading a group of senior Greens advocating for a broader "conversation about the party's direction."

The fallout has also affected alliances with other parties. Labour has vowed to end pacts with Green councils that supported the controversial motion. The Labour-Green alliance on Lewes District Council was recently dissolved by mutual agreement.

A spokesperson for the Green Party declined to comment on specific membership numbers, stating, "We don't provide a running commentary on membership numbers."