Labour says council power-sharing agreements with Green Party will end unless their local groups condemn ‘Zionism is racism’ motion

The Labour Party has told all of its local councils who share power with the Green Party that they must end their power sharing arrangemnents if local Greens do not condemn their party’s motion declaring ‘Zionism is racism’.

It comes after Prime Minister Andy Burnham ruled out any future power sharing agreement with the Greens on a national level so long as the party’s policy remained in place.

Activists at the Green party’s annual conference voted by 1,022 to 813 to back the motion which has been slammed as racist and anti-semitic by Labour Party MPs as well as Jewish groups and has also exposed deep splits within the Green Party.

Before the conference, former leaders Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay both issued statements saying they would be voting against it. Green Party leader Zack Polanski did not cast a vote.

Green Party MP and former co-leader Adrian Ramsay told LBC he’s “deeply saddened” by the Zionism stance that “doesn’t reflect long-standing Green principles”.

Labour has now asked its councils in joint administrations with Zack Polanski’s party to “review” its arrangements, saying if Green groups did not issue a “clear and unambiguous statement” condemning the motion within seven days, any local power-sharing arrangement will end.

Party Chairwoman Bridget Phillipson said: “The prime minister has been completely clear: this policy is wrong and antisemitic, and has no place in British politics.

“Where local Labour Parties currently have an arrangement with the Greens in local government, we expect their Green counterparts to make clear that they reject this position and to call on their national leadership to reconsider the policy.”

Phillipson added: “We have asked local Green groups to respond as a matter of urgency. Where they are unable to provide that assurance, Labour will bring any such local arrangement to an end. This isn’t an issue of party politics; it’s about doing what is right and upholding the values anyone holding public office should share.

“The Labour Party fought hard to address antisemitism within our own party and ensure it had no place in our politics. We have a responsibility to uphold those same standards in our relationships with other parties.”

Around 17 councils in England and one in Wales could be affected by Labour’s ultimatum.