Labour Demands Green Party Disown 'Zionism is Racism' Policy to Maintain Power-Sharing Deals

The Labour Party is poised to decide the fate of its power-sharing arrangements with Green councillors across the UK, demanding that the Greens disown their party's recent policy classifying Zionism as a form of racism. Green groups have been given until Sunday to respond to the demand, after which Labour's National Executive Committee (NEC) will determine whether to continue with existing local agreements.

In several areas, Green groups have publicly distanced themselves from the policy or stated they do not agree with it, lessening the immediate threat to these alliances. However, in other localities, Green councillors have yet to clarify their stance, making local pacts more vulnerable to collapse.

The issue is particularly acute in nine local authorities where the Green Party plays a crucial role in forming majorities for passing budgets and making policy decisions. These include Sheffield City Council, Warwick District Council, and Lewes District Council, where Labour and the Greens are in direct coalition. Other affected authorities where Greens hold significant influence are West Oxfordshire District Council, Stafford Borough Council, Havant Borough Council, Broadland District Council, Derbyshire Dales District Council, and Wealden District Council.

In some of these areas, such as Lewes, Wealden, Broadland, West Sussex, and North Somerset, local Green parties have explicitly distanced themselves from the national policy. In Stafford, where Green councillor Tony Pearce holds the climate change portfolio in a power-sharing arrangement, the local Green group leader, Doug Rouxel, indicated they were "formulating a response" to Labour's letter. Labour has confirmed that a refusal to reject the policy would trigger a process to remove Pearce from his cabinet position.

Elsewhere, the situation has led to resignations. Chris Collier, the leader of the Labour group on the Green-led Lewes District Council, resigned from the Labour Party after the ultimatum, stating he disagreed with its tone. Collier will now serve as an independent cabinet member on the council's alliance, which was formed in May 2023.

The controversial policy, "Zionism is racism," was passed by members of the Green Party of England and Wales at its annual conference last month. The adopted motion described Zionism as an ideology supporting an "ethnonationalist Jewish state" responsible for the "disenfranchisement and destruction" of Palestinians and advocated for a "single democratic Palestinian state in all of historic Palestine." The policy has drawn criticism from Jewish groups and senior figures within the Green Party, including four of its five Members of Parliament. Green leader Zack Polanski has expressed a desire for the motion to be amended in the future.

Labour councillors require NEC approval for local tie-ups. According to the party's rules, local groups must also withdraw from power-sharing arrangements when instructed by their regional office. The Green Party, conversely, allows its local branches to decide on power-sharing matters independently.

A spokesperson for the Green Party criticized Labour's stance, stating, "For the Labour government to conflate criticism of Israel with antisemitism is disappointing and wrong. Trying to tell local parties what to do and who they can work with is undemocratic."