Labour finally found some gumption today as it ramped up its attacks on the Greens’ anti-Semitic ‘Zionism is Racism’ policy. In a somewhat surprising move, party chair Bridget Phillipson announced that the 18 Labour council groups in power-sharing arrangements with Zack Polanski’s party will seek a ‘clear and unambiguous statement’ from their Green counterparts rejecting the motion. Councillors will have seven days to disavow it or face the termination of their cooperation agreements. They have also been instructed to write to Polanski urging him to reverse the decision.
The ultimatum has been warmly welcomed by Labour moderates, who are desperate to avoid pandering to the very people Sir Keir Starmer expended considerable internal political capital purging from the party. It also came just hours before the Equality and Human Rights Commission announced it has sought ‘more information’ from the party to ‘assess’ the motion’s ‘practical implications and potential impact’.
Responding to the announcement, former Home Office minister Mike Tapp said: ‘With such a massive majority, we don’t need any sort of coalition. There is no place for anti-Semitism in our politics. It’s a shame the leadership of the Greens can’t lead.’ North Durham MP Luke Akehurst added: ‘It’s absolutely right that without this public confirmation, Labour Groups will not continue any coalition or power-sharing agreement.’ David Taylor, another Labour MP vociferously opposed to the Greens, chimed in: ‘The Greens have crossed a line. There should be no Labour-Green coalitions, no power-sharing deals and no Labour votes keeping Green administrations in office.’ Faced with this chorus of condemnation, Polanski’s party accused Labour of being ‘undemocratic’.
The move has also won plaudits from Jewish community groups, many of whom have been disappointed by the willingness of cabinet ministers to play to the gallery on issues concerning Israel, even where it will reap no dividends to the reality on the ground. The widespread condemnation that greeted the Green party conference has clearly emboldened Downing Street to take a firmer stance on the hard-left than Andy Burnham initially adopted. It took the Prime Minister several days to rule out a post-election coalition with Polanski while the policy remains in place, rather than doing so in its immediate aftermath.
Interestingly, the controversy has also brought the debate over proportional representation into sharper focus within Labour. It is emerging as a significant dividing line in an otherwise relatively harmonious party. Changing the voting system would only serve to bolster the likes of Polanski and other extreme or fringe parties, such as Restore Britain, potentially handing them the balance of power in future parliaments.
For a glimpse of what the Greens in power might look like, it is worth examining Lambeth Council, where the party wrestled minority control from Labour. Despite prolific litter, overflowing bins, open drug-taking, crime and anti-social behaviour, just one of the five motions debated at a meeting of the local authority last night concerned local issues. It was submitted by the Liberal Democrats.
If the ‘Zionism is Racism’ scandal, and the sectarianism and entryism it has exposed, is to serve any useful purpose, perhaps it will be to deliver the much-needed wake-up call that some Labour MPs and ministers have so far been reluctant to heed. The party’s moderates have spent years fighting to rid Labour of its extremist elements. They should be wary of changing the electoral system in a way that could end up handing those same forces a seat at the governing table.
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