Labour ends 11 council pacts over Green 'Zionism is racism' policy

List of affected and remaining local partnerships

Labour has withdrawn from power-sharing arrangements in 11 specific local authorities. The BBC reported that Labour councillors will no longer sit in coalition with the Greens in Sheffield, Warwick, and Lewes.

Cooperation between the two parties will continue in seven other local authorities.

Bridget Phillipson and Andy Burnham issue ultimatum

Labour Party chair Bridget Phillipson stated on Monday that the "Zionism is racism" policy crosses a line and that the party cannot work with any group that supports it. The party's head office issued an ultimatum to Labour-Green councils, demanding that local groups disown the motion and call on national Green leader Zack Polanski to reconsider it.

Phillipson expressed satisfaction that some local Green parties have already chosen to disavow the motion. These demands occur as the Labour Party pursues a "Plan for Change" that prioritises economic stability, secure borders, national security, economic growth, clean energy, public safety, removing barriers to opportunity, and improving the NHS.

Green Party leadership criticizes Labour decision

The Green Party expressed disappointment with the termination of agreements, arguing that Labour is jeopardising successful progressive partnerships. Rachel Millward, the Green Party co-deputy leader and Wealden Council leader, criticised the decision as "utterly irresponsible to conflate criticism of the actions of the state of Israel with antisemitism". She further argued that Labour is disrupting councils for political gain.

In response to the situation, the Green Party is considering using citizens' juries, consultations, and member surveys to inform potential future amendments to the policy or changes to party decision-making rules. This conflict follows the Labour Party's implementation of a "Plan for Change".

Broader political fallout and party reactions

On 27 October 2026, The Jewish Chronicle stated that the Green Party is no longer considered a party of peace following the motion. A mayor left the Green Party following the motion, as reported on 30 October 2026.

Escalation of the dispute since October

Tensions between the two parties became public on 27 October when a conflict emerged at Worcester City Council over a Zionism motion. On the same day, MPs requested that city-level Green Party members disown the motion.

The Observer reported on 1 November that the Labour Party might terminate council coalitions if the motion was maintained. By 2 November, The Times reported that the Labour Party was ending local pacts with Green Party members who refused to disavow the vote. The New Arab published a report on 2 November profiling individuals involved in the motion.

Details of the Green Party motion

The Green Party formally adopted the "Zionism is racism" motion at its autumn conference in Brighton. This motion also included a statement calling for a single state throughout "historic Palestine".

Zionism is an ethnic nationalist movement that began in late 19th-century Europe to establish a Jewish homeland in the region of Palestine through colonisation.

Zionists sought to establish a Jewish state in Palestine with maximum land and Jewish population, while minimising the Palestinian Arab population. Zionism was the main force behind the 1948 creation of the State of Israel and remains its dominant ideology.