Sheffield's Labour-Green alliance ends following breakdown in negotiations

The joint administration between the Greens and Labour at Sheffield City Council will end, marking the second U-turn in as many weeks. It was announced earlier this month that following a row over the Green Party's 'Zionism is racism' motion , the alliance would not continue. However, a council meeting last week was told they hoped to issue a joint statement confirming that they would continue. But, today, in a post on Facebook, Labour Councillor Fran Belbin confirmed that despite talks, the party could not "in good faith" keep working with the group.

"Last week, hours before full council, Sheffield Greens finally confirmed that they recognise that not all Zionists are racists; that all peoples have the right to self-determination; and they committed to undertake antisemitism training organised by the Council for all councillors. "On that basis, I felt there could be enough common ground for us to continue our joint administration in the best interests of Sheffield. "Since then we have worked with them to put out a joint statement to reassure our communities.

It has been slow work but unfortunately the Green Party has been unable to take the steps needed to give our city the certainty we need." Suspended Reform councillor refuses to apologise over 'Nazi-related content' Inquiry finds Sheffield council misled public in tree-felling saga Councillor Belbin also referenced Sheffield Councillor Mustafa Ahmed, whose social media activity is subject to an investigation by the Green Party. She said, "Trust has been further eroded by the recent reporting of Cllr Mustafa Ahmed’s Facebook posts following the October 7th attacks in 2023."

The Green Party responding in a public statement saying that Councillor Belbin "is now reneging on her previous commitment to ensure a stable council for Sheffield. "It is now clear that the national Labour Party vetoed the power-sharing arrangement. Sheffield Greens refuse to submit to national Labour and will continue to speak out against violations of human rights and international law and the complicity of the Labour government. "It seems that decisions for Sheffield Labour are made in London, and political games are prioritised over local needs.

Sheffield deserves leadership with a backbone, not a permission slip from London." Responding to reports of antisemitic comments by Councillor Ahmed, the Sheffield Greens added: "We are aware of allegations made by a news outlet against one of our councillors, accusing them of making antisemitic comments in historic social media posts. "The Green Party takes antisemitism very seriously and the matter has been referred to the Green Party at a national level for investigation.

"We believe in fairness, due process and ensuring that all evidence is properly verified before outcomes are reached, and not prejudging before conclusions are made." Councillor Ahmed has also published a statement on social media saying that he is the subject of a "politically motivated smear campaign". He added that the "accusation of antisemitism regarding my repost ... relies on a deliberate distortion of language. "My opposition to Zionism and the policies of the Israeli state is principled, consistent, and grounded entirely in human rights and international law."

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