Labour gives Polanski’s Greens a seven-day ultimatum over antisemitism row

The Labour Party has issued a strict seven-day ultimatum to local Green Party groups across the United Kingdom, threatening to terminate all local power-sharing arrangements unless councillors explicitly disavow a controversial conference motion declaring that Zionism is racism, according to regional and national reporting.

The political confrontation centers on a resolution passed by members at the Green Party conference earlier this month. The motion asserts that Zionism is an ideology supporting an ethnonationalist state, leading to the disenfranchisement of Palestinians, and calls instead for a single democratic Palestinian state across historic Palestine. According to LBC reporting, the stance triggered immediate backlash from Jewish community organizations and senior Green parliamentarians, though Green leader Zack Polanski abstained from the vote and stated an intention to see the policy amended.

Media additions

Prime Minister Andy Burnham escalated the pressure during parliamentary exchanges by ruling out any future national coalition with the Greens while the policy persists. Describing the motion as unequivocally antisemitic, Burnham stated that his party would have nothing to do with it, as reported by The Irish News. That hardline stance has now been extended to local government, where central party headquarters have instructed local Labour groups to demand clear and unambiguous assurances from their Green counterparts.

Labour Party chairwoman Bridget Phillipson defended the intervention as a matter of public standards rather than ordinary political maneuvering. In statements reported by the Southend Echo, Phillipson emphasized that the party has worked extensively to eradicate antisemitism within its own ranks and bears a responsibility to uphold those same standards in formal partnerships with other political organizations.

The ultimatum places local Green representatives in a difficult position, forcing them to choose between maintaining functional local coalitions or defending their party's internal conference decisions. According to Londonlovesbusiness, the directive affects governing arrangements across nearly two dozen councils in England and Wales, including specific power-sharing bodies in Sheffield, Lewes, and Warwick, as well as complex multi-party arrangements in Runnymede and Coventry.

The Green Party responded with fierce criticism of Labour's approach. A party spokesperson argued that attempting to dictate how local authorities operate and who local councillors can work with is undemocratic, accusing the government of conflating legitimate criticism of Israeli state policy with antisemitism, as detailed by LBC.

External reactions to the standoff highlighted deep divisions across the political spectrum. The Liberal Democrats, who also share power with Green councillors in various English local authorities, indicated that decisions regarding local coalitions should remain entirely in the hands of grassroots councillors familiar with their communities. At the same time, a Liberal Democrat spokesperson condemned the Green policy as divisive and insensitive amid rising community tensions. Meanwhile, the Board of Deputies of British Jews strongly welcomed Labour's ultimatum, with vice president Karen Newman describing the move as a necessary and principled stand for parties holding public power.

What to Watch Next

• The expiration of the seven-day window set by Labour for local Green groups to issue formal responses.
• Decisions by individual Labour council groups on whether to formally dissolve power-sharing arrangements in areas such as Sheffield, Lewes, and Warwick.
• Potential internal debates within the Green Party ahead of future gatherings regarding the contested conference resolution.
• Further statements from national leadership figures as municipal administrations evaluate the stability of their working majorities.

As the deadline approaches, local authorities across England and Wales brace for potential political instability. Observers will be monitoring whether local Green representatives choose to risk the collapse of their governing coalitions or comply with Labour's strict conditions.