Herefordshire’s second-largest party locally has slammed the Green Party’s recent adoption of an “Anti-Zionist” policy – but says this won’t affect its relationship with local Greens as it has no plans to work with them anyway.
At its conference earlier this month, Green Party members voted to define Zionism as a form of racism and to formally declare the party “anti-Zionist” – a move which North Herefordshire Green MP Ellie Chowns has sought to distance herself from.
In the Commons yesterday, Prime Minister Andy Burnham ruled out any future partnership with the Greens while they retain the “antisemitic” policy.
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And earlier today Labour said it would end any local government coalitions with the Greens, of which it currently has several, for the same reason.
Local elections are due in Herefordshire in little over six months, with polls suggesting no party is likely to gain overall control, leaving a coalition of some sort the most likely outcome.
Coun Terry James, leader of the Liberal Democrats group which is currently the county’s second largest, said: “We absolutely condemn the Green Party's recent anti-Zionism motion – but the Liberal Democrats are not thinking about doing deals with other parties.
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“We are focused on asking the people of Herefordshire to elect Liberal Democrat councillors in the May elections.”
Noting that Green Party leader Zack Polanski had not condemned the policy vote, which he did not take part in, Coun James added: “How will they get rid of him?”
Mr Polanski has vowed to stay on as party leader, despite also having missed out on becoming an MP at the Holborn & St Pancras by-election, also earlier this month.
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Chair of Hereford and South Herefordshire Labour Party Paul Dawson said: “We insist that if we are to work with the Herefordshire Green Party in the future, they write a clear and unambiguous public statement saying why this motion is racist and why they do not support it.”
Before the current minority Conservative administration, the Greens were in a coalition running Herefordshire with the Independents for Herefordshire (i4H) between 2019 and 2023.
The current i4H group was asked how the Greens’ anti-Zionist policy would affect any future coalition options, while the local Green Party was asked if it would go along with Labour’s demand to distance itself from the conference vote.
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