Labour ends power-sharing with Greens in 11 councils over Zionism row

The Labour Party has pulled retired of power-sharing agreements with the Green Party successful 11 section councils, aft the nationalist enactment adopted a argumentation defining Zionism arsenic a signifier of racism.

Labour councillors volition nary longer beryllium successful conjugation with the Greens successful areas including Sheffield, Warwick and Lewes.

Labour Party seat Bridget Phillipson said: "Labour has been wide from the commencement that the "Zionism is Racism" argumentation crosses a enactment and we cannot enactment with immoderate enactment that supports it – astatine immoderate level of government."

Green person Zack Polanski said the determination would "backfire" connected Labour and accused the enactment of wanting to "interrupt your section services and enforce genocide enactment from it's section councils".

In October, Green Party members backed a motion, entitled "Zionism is racism", which said Zionism was an ideology that supported an "ethnonationalist Jewish State successful historical Palestine". Israel has denied committing genocide successful Gaza.

The question besides backed a "single antiauthoritarian Palestinian State", including successful modern-day Israel.

Having been backed by enactment members, the question became Green Party policy, but it has near elder figures bitterly divided. Jewish groups and absorption governmental parties person condemned it.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham told MPs successful October that Labour would not spouse with the Greens implicit the "antisemitic" policy.

Labour past issued an ultimatum from Labour's caput bureau to Labour-Green councils, demanding that section Greens disown the question passed by members astatine their nationalist enactment conference.

Green groups were besides asked to telephone connected their party's nationalist enactment to reconsider the policy.

Labour said determination were section agreements successful spot successful 18 authorities. Of those, Labour said 11 had not met the criteria it demanded.

The areas are:

Labour said its conditions had been met successful Broadland, Monmouthshire, North Somerset, Rother, West Oxfordshire and West Sussex. The enactment said that Coventry City Council does not person a ceremonial statement successful spot and that nary specified woody volition beryllium made successful the future.

It volition proceed co-operating with the Greens successful the West of England mayoralty, wherever the lawman politician is simply a Green member.

Green Party person Zack Polanski has said the question was "imperfect" but has defended its cardinal premise, arguing that Israel's actions towards the Palestinian radical are "clearly underpinned by racist ideology".

The illness of co-operation astatine the section level could interaction hundreds of thousands of residents done budgets and argumentation decisions taking longer to get voted through.

Green and Labour councillors successful the impacted areas volition present person to question alternate conjugation partners oregon effort to govern arsenic a number administration.

In a associated statement, the Green Party and the Local Government Association Green Group said it was "hugely disappointed" that Labour had forced section leaders into "jeopardising palmy progressive partnerships that are delivering benefits for residents".