Labour Withdrawals from Green Power-Sharing Agreements Over Zionism Policy

According to BBC UK, the Labour Party has ended power-sharing agreements with the Green Party across 11 local councils subsequent to the national party establishing a policy that characterizes Zionism as a form of racism. Consequently, Labour councillors will no longer be in coalition with the Greens in locations including Sheffield, Warwick, and Lewes.

Bridget Phillipson, the Labour Party chair, asserted that Labour had maintained from the outset that the "Zionism is Racism" policy constituted a boundary that the party could not work with at any level of government. In response, Green leader Zack Polanski suggested that this action would negatively affect Labour and accused the party of intending to "interrupt your local services and impose genocide support from it's local councils."

In October, members of the Green Party supported a resolution titled "Zionism is racism," which posited that Zionism was an ideology supporting an "ethnonationalist Jewish State in historic Palestine." Israel has denied committing genocide in Gaza. The same motion also endorsed a "single democratic Palestinian State," which would encompass modern-day Israel.

Although the motion was supported by party members, it resulted in significant disagreement among senior figures within the Green Party, with Jewish groups and opposition political parties condemning it.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham informed Members of Parliament in October that Labour would not partner with the Greens due to the "antisemitic" policy. Labour subsequently issued an ultimatum from its head office to councils with Labour-Green arrangements, requiring local Greens to disavow the motion passed by members at their national party conference. Green groups were also asked to urge their national leadership to reconsider the policy.

Labour indicated that local agreements were in place in 18 authorities, but stated that 11 of these had not satisfied the criteria demanded by Labour. These areas are listed as Arun District Council, Derbyshire Dales District Council, Havant Borough Council, Lewes District Council, Runnymede Borough Council, Sheffield City Council, Stafford Borough Council, Warwick District Council, Wealden District Council, West Devon Borough Council, and West Suffolk Council. Labour noted that its conditions had been met in Broadland, Monmouthshire, North Somerset, Rother, West Oxfordshire, and West Sussex. The party also mentioned that Coventry City Council lacks a formal arrangement and will not have one in the future, though cooperation will continue with the Greens in the West of England mayoralty where a Green member serves as deputy mayor.

Green Party leader Zack Polanski defended the central premise of the motion, describing it as "imperfect" but arguing that Israel's actions toward the Palestinian people are "clearly underpinned by racist ideology."

The cessation of cooperation at the local level could potentially affect hundreds of thousands of residents by causing delays in the voting process for budgets and policy decisions. Consequently, Green and Labour councillors in the affected areas must now either find alternative coalition partners or attempt to govern as a minority administration.

In a joint statement, the Green Party and the Local Government Association Green Group expressed "huge disappointment" that Labour had compelled local leaders to "jeopardise successful progressive partnerships that are delivering benefits for residents."

In Sheffield, one of the largest councils impacted, 25 Labour councillors had formed a power-sharing agreement with 20 Green councillors following the May 2026 elections for the city's 550,000 residents. In response to Labour's ultimatum, Angela Argenzio, the leader of the Sheffield Greens, stated in a letter that local Green councillors "are not antisemitic," without referencing the motion. Argenzio informed local Labour representatives that they were being "directed by your national party leader" instead of local concerns.

On Monday, the Labour leader for the council, Cllr Fran Belbin, announced that her party would propose on Wednesday to proceed as a Labour minority administration, stating, "We now feel we are at the end of the road with the joint administration," and adding that "Our trust in Sheffield Greens is completely broken," accusing them of a "refusal to stand up for Jewish citizens."

Rachel Millward, the Green Party co-deputy leader and leader of Wealden Council, characterized the situation as a "complete disaster," noting the irony of a Labour prime minister who promised to resolve issues rather than score political points now disrupting well-run councils due to apprehension over Green success. She further stated that it is "utterly irresponsible to conflate criticism of the actions of the state of Israel with antisemitism," adding that many Jewish individuals strongly oppose the current Israeli government's illegal actions.

In Warwick, the local Green party stated its refusal to condemn a policy decided democratically because of political pressure, urging Prime Minister Andy Burnham to align his actions with his words and permit local Labour groups to make their own determinations. Netty Shepherd, the Green group leader in Havant, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that she blamed Labour for "performative politics" and warned that the end of their coalition would be a "complete disaster for residents," adding that as a local government councillor, her concerns relate to bins and town centre generation, not foreign policy.

Additionally, the Liberal Democrats maintain partnerships with the Green Party in certain local councils. Last week, Sir Ed Davey, the party leader, ruled out a national partnership with "any party that is committed to a dangerous and antisemitic policy like the Green Party's," and requested that his local leaders in coalition with the Greens encourage Green councillors to reject the motion and commit to campaigning for its reversal.