Green Party leader Zack Polanski says he will not try to overturn his party’s “Zionism is racism” policy immediately, but wants to amend it at the next party conference in 2028. Polanski says he disagrees with parts of the motion passed by Green members at their annual conference in Brighton, particularly the element that commits the party to a single Palestinian state and requires dismantling Israel.
In a BBC interview, Polanski argues the future of Israel and Palestine should be decided by Israelis and Palestinians rather than by the UK government or the Green Party. He also says the party’s policy should shift away from “one state” toward self-determination. While the wider motion lasts for two years after the conference vote, Labour’s Prime Minister Andy Burnham has ruled out post-election deals with the Greens while the policy stands, describing it as antisemitic.
The dispute is also playing out in public support. Multiple outlets report Ipsos polling finds Polanski’s approval at a record low, with favourability turning increasingly negative and slipping further among under-35s. The row follows a Green by-election defeat in Holborn and St Pancras, which Polanski had targeted.
