Labour to end cooperation with Greens in 11 councils over ‘Zionism is racism’ policy

Labour is to stop cooperating with the Green party in 11 councils across England following an ultimatum for Greens in local government to disown a new policy stating that “Zionism is racism”.

A statement from Labour said coalitions or other deals with Greens would stop in all local authorities where they had refused to condemn the policy motion passed at their party conference last month, which also called for a single Palestinian state in place of Israel.

Cooperation would cease on Arun, Derbyshire Dales, Havant, Lewes, Sheffield, Stafford, Warwick, Wealden, West Devon and West Suffolk councils, Labour said, and had already stopped in Runnymede because of the motion.

According to Labour, six Green council groups have condemned the motion, meaning deals will remain in place in Broadland, Monmouthshire, North Somerset, Rother, West Oxfordshire, West Sussex. The same, it said, had happened with the West of England mayoralty, where the mayor is from Labour and the deputy mayor is a Green.

Bridget Phillipson, the Labour chair, said the party had been clear that the motion, which has been met with unease by some Greens and has faced significant outside condemnation, “crosses a line and we cannot work with any party that supports it – at any level of government”.

The Greens said they were “hugely disappointed” at the move, saying it would result in worse outcomes for residents in affected areas.

Phillipson said just over a fortnight ago that any Labour groups working with Green party politicians should review their agreements and end them unless they reject the motion, which Andy Burnham called “antisemitic”.

Some Greens, including the party’s former co-leader Adrian Ramsay, had called on local parties to renounce the policy, a stance that put him at odds with Zack Polanski, who leads the Greens in England and Wales. The party’s official response was that the Greens would “not take lectures” from a Labour government that supplies arms to Israel.

The policy equates Zionism, the movement for a Jewish state, with racism. It also rejects a two-state solution and calls for Israel to be replaced by a single Palestinian state “with equal rights for all”.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has written to the Greens to seek more information about the motion “and assess its practical implications and potential impact”.

Phillipson said: “Any local power-sharing arrangement cannot come at the expense of upholding the moral obligation we have to stand up for everyone in our communities and the values we share.

“We are pleased that some local Green parties have rightly opted to disavow this policy and have called on their party’s leadership to do the same. It is disappointing that some local Green parties have not met the conditions Labour has set out. Labour continues to oppose this divisive policy and calls on the Green party to do the right thing and rescind it.”

She added: “The Labour party fought hard to root out antisemitism within our own party and ensure it had no place in our politics.”

In a joint statement, the Greens and the Local Government Association Green group said they were “hugely disappointed in moves designed by national parties to force local council leaders into jeopardising successful progressive partnerships that are delivering benefits for residents”.

They added: “Across the country, Green, Labour, independent and Liberal Democrat councillors have worked together to provide stable local government, protect services and deliver positive change. Leaders across these parties are rightly proud of what those partnerships have achieved.

“Those who issued ultimatums that destabilised power-sharing agreements have often ignored the judgments of their own local leaders, failed to respect the choices made by local voters, and are disrupting successful partnerships.”

Under the party’s direct democracy rules, policy is decided by party members. The Zionism motion won just over 1,000 votes, equating to approximately 0.4% of the total membership. It has been criticised by four of the Greens’ five MPs, as well as the former MP and party leader Caroline Lucas.