The Green Party has experienced a significant membership decline in recent months following internal controversy over a motion characterizing Zionism as racism. Since May, nearly 20,000 members have left the party, according to estimates, amid growing backlash over the policy that effectively challenges the legitimacy of Israel as a Jewish homeland.
The motion, passed at the Green Party’s annual conference earlier this month, was supported by a faction known as Greens for Palestine. It asserts that beliefs affirming Jewish entitlement to an ancestral homeland in Israel amount to racism. This has sparked intense division within the party and among elected officials, contributing to a marked drop in public support and internal strife.
Green councillors across the UK have been defecting to other parties in protest of the new policy. Most recently, Drew Creek, the Mayor of Newquay and leader of the Greens on Cornwall Council, announced his departure to join Labour. Creek cited the motion as having “crossed a line” and expressed disappointment that party leader Zack Polanski had “doubled down” on backing the policy rather than reconsidering it. Creek joins at least ten other Green councillors who have left following the adoption of the motion.
Similar defections have surfaced in other local authorities, including Wealden District Council in Sussex and Babergh District Council in Suffolk, where Green councillors have switched allegiance or declared themselves independent. However, some opposition parties have reportedly been hesitant to accept defecting Greens, with at least one Labour official indicating a refusal to absorb members over the issue on “principle.”
The Green Party, which once boasted nearly 200,000 paid-up members, has seen an 8 percent drop in membership since spring. Analysts suggest that for every one percent decline, the party faces a projected £110,000 reduction in annual income. The controversy has also impacted Polanski’s personal standing, with a recent poll showing a majority of the public holding an unfavorable view of his leadership.
Polanski has defended the motion, asserting that the majority of Green voters expected to support the party in the 2024 elections back the policy. Nonetheless, he indicated a willingness to amend the motion “at the first available opportunity.” In response to ongoing turmoil, the party announced the formation of a working group, including Polanski and his deputies Mothin Ali and Rachel Millward, tasked with reviewing the party’s democratic processes.
The motion was reportedly passed with the support of just over 1,000 members, a small fraction of the overall membership base. Meanwhile, Adrian Ramsay, the Green MP for Waveney Valley, is anticipated to voice criticism of Polanski’s leadership and recent party changes in an upcoming BBC interview.
Labour has pledged to end cooperation agreements with Green-led councils that endorse the contentious motion and is expected to provide further details this week. A Green Party spokesperson declined to comment directly on membership figures.