Burnham Calls on Polanski to Reverse Green Party Zionism Motion

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has called on Green Party leader Zack Polanski to reverse a party conference motion defining Zionism as racism. The political clash unfolded in Brighton as Polanski faced a high-stakes by-election campaign in Holborn and St Pancras, with prominent Green figures deeply divided over the vote.

The political fallout from the Green Party’s annual conference in Brighton intensified sharply as Prime Minister Andy Burnham condemned the party’s Zionism motion as a completely wrong decision. Approved by members on Sunday, October 4, the resolution declared the Greens an anti-Zionist party and established that Zionism would be treated as any other form of racism.

The vote count settled at 1,022 in favour and 813 against.

Burnham’s Demand and the Holborn and St Pancras By-Election

The Prime Minister argued that the measure effectively rules out a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine.

For that reason, it shouldn’t be supported in any way, shape or form. I would call on the leadership of the Green Party to say that it will be reversed and it won’t be Green Party policy.

Andy Burnham, Prime Minister

The controversy landed directly in the final hours of the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, where Zack Polanski stood as a candidate seeking to overturn a substantial Labour majority in the seat vacated by former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. Polanski left the Brighton conference early to focus on the contest and abstained from the vote.

Ahead of the vote, Polanski had stated that he wanted to see the reference to a single Palestinian state changed. He argued that the party should not be deciding what future settlements look like. Following the conference vote, Polanski maintained that he would not accept anyone being excluded from the Green Party because of the religious or communal body they belong to. Additionally, Polanski used the gathering in Brighton to advocate for a triple lock-style guarantee for private renters to ease housing costs for young adults.

Photo: gbnews.com

Internal Division and Resignations Among Green Party Leaders

The motion sparked severe internal friction across the party. Former Green co-leader Adrian Ramsay criticized the proposals, telling the BBC that he was talking carefully with colleagues and Jewish Greens to figure out how to get the party back on track. Ramsay, who became the party’s first male MP after winning the Waveney Valley constituency at the 2024 General Election, joined other senior figures in condemning the direction taken at the conference.

Caroline Lucas, who became the Greens’ first MP in 2010, also voiced serious concerns about the motion, noting that it carries a real risk of being divisive and could signal to Jewish people that they are not welcome in the party. Four of the five Green MPs opposed the measure, and the party’s co-deputy leaders were split on supporting it.

Joint Statement and Counter-Positions From Party Parliamentarians

As Green Party leaders and MPs, we will always uphold universal human rights. We will never tolerate any form of discrimination or harassment. We will continue to stand in opposition to genocide, ethnic cleansing, apartheid, and the illegal occupation.

Green Party leaders and MPs, Joint Party Statement

Gorton and Denton MP Hannah Spencer did not vote or attend the conference on Sunday, with party representatives confirming she was active on the campaign trail alongside Polanski. The internal democracy model of the Green Party dictates that official policy is decided by members, though these positions are not necessarily included in general election manifestos.

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