Labour has warned that it will end local council power-sharing arrangements with the Green Party where Green councillors fail to reject a controversial motion adopted at the party’s annual conference.
In an intervention on Thursday 15 October, Labour chair Bridget Phillipson said local Labour groups involved in coalition or other power-sharing arrangements had been instructed to seek assurances from their Green counterparts. Those groups are being asked to reject the motion, which declares that “Zionism is racism”, and to urge the Green Party’s national leadership to reconsider it.
According to the Press Association, the ultimatum affects 18 councils — 17 in England and one in Wales. Other reporting has cited 19 arrangements, apparently reflecting differences in how local partnerships are counted. The reported arrangements include formal coalitions as well as looser confidence-and-supply or other cooperation agreements.
Seven-day deadline for local Green groups
Labour has given local Green groups seven days to provide the requested assurances. Phillipson said that where such assurances could not be provided, Labour would bring the local arrangement to an end.
The move follows Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s statement at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, when he condemned the Green conference motion as antisemitic and ruled out a national partnership while the policy remained in place.
Dispute over Green Party conference motion
The Green Party adopted the motion earlier in October. Labour and other critics have characterised it as antisemitic. The Green Party disputes that characterisation, arguing that criticism of Zionism and Israeli government policy should not be conflated with antisemitism.
A Green Party spokesperson criticised Labour’s approach as undemocratic and said decisions about local political cooperation should not be dictated by another party. The disagreement has also prompted debate within the Greens about the motion and the party’s position.
What happens to the councils?
Among the authorities identified in reporting are Sheffield, Warwick, Lewes, Coventry and Monmouthshire. Their political arrangements differ, meaning any withdrawal by Labour could have different consequences in each area.
No automatic collapse of all 18 administrations has been announced. Labour’s threat is conditional on local Green groups’ responses, and changes to individual council administrations would depend on their particular governing arrangements.
The seven-day deadline means further announcements from local Labour and Green groups may follow over the coming week.