Green Party loses 20,000 members in backlash over 'Zionism is racism' vote
The Green Party has lost nearly 20,000 members in less than six months as it fights a deepening anti-Semitism crisis. Zack Polanski 's party has plummeted in the polls since passing the Zionism is Racism motion, which effectively calls for the abolition of Israel , at its annual conference. The leader of Cornwall Greens was yesterday the latest councillor to defect in protest at the motion, saying it had 'crossed a line' and that Mr Polanski has only 'doubled down' in supporting it since.
Left out here: Leaves out what changes the picture
The article never quotes the motion it is about. The BBC reported its wording: Zionism as an ideology supporting a Jewish state in historic Palestine to the exclusion or domination of the non-Jewish population. Without it, a reader has only the Mail's description and believes the motion calls for abolishing Israel and branding people racist for believing in a homeland.
How we know
- BBC News reported“an ethnonationalist Jewish state in historic Palestine to the exclusion and/or domination of the non-Jewish population”Mayor defects from Greens after 'Zionism is racism' motion (opens in a new tab)
It comes after a small number of Green activists were able to pass the controversial policy at the conference earlier this month, to the dismay of many members. Backed by Greens for Palestine , the motion effectively declares that those believing Jewish people have a right to an ancestral homeland in Israel are racist. Support for the Greens has fallen off a cliff-edge as talk of the motion has consumed the party, with 18,000 members quitting since May.
This has seen the number of paid-up members dropping by 8 per cent since the spring, with the party now facing a £110,000 annual loss in income for every 1 per cent of members who quit, according to a Sky report. Green councillors across the country have been defecting to other parties following the motion passing. Green Party leader Zack Polanski (pictured) pictured after finishing runner-up in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election at the start of October Newquay mayor and leader of the Greens on Cornwall council Drew Creek yesterday jumped ship to Labour, saying the motion 'crossed a line'.
In a statement, he wrote: 'I had hoped the Green Party would step back from it – but instead, Zack Polanski and the leadership has doubled down. 'I can't stand behind that, and I won't pretend otherwise. I didn't leave the Green Party; the party left me.' He follows at least ten other Green councillors who have defected on the motion being made party policy. In Wealden district council in Sussex, a Green councillor announced she would defect to the Liberal Democrats.
Meanwhile, there were similar defections within Babergh district council in Suffolk. Other Greens announced they would now be sitting as independents after leaving the party over the Zionism motion. One former councillor told the Daily Mail that opposition parties in other places have been reticent to accept defections from the Greens. Mr Polanski was joined by party MPs Hannah Spencer (left) and Sian Berry (right) on stage during the Green Party Conference on October 2, 2026 Co-Deputy Leaders of the Green Party Mothin Ali and Rachel Millward at the party conference They said one Labour figure had been 'very clear' they won't accept any Greens on a matter of 'principle'.
It comes as Mr Polanski's personal leadership ratings slumped to an all-time low this month, with 52 per cent of the public saying they had an unfavourable view of the Green leader. When questioned by the BBC, Mr Polanski insisted that polling showed 'the vast majority of Green voters from 2024' support the policy, but added he wanted to amend it 'at the first available opportunity'. The Green Party announced this week it would set up a 'working group' – which will include Mr Polanski and his deputies Mothin Ali and Rachel Millward – to discuss improving the party's democratic systems.
This came as the motion was passed by just 1,022 members, a fraction of the Greens' near 200,000-strong membership. Adrian Ramsay, the Green MP for Waveney Valley, is expected to use an interview with the BBC tomorrow to criticise the changes made to the Greens under Mr Polanski's leadership. According to a report in The Times, Mr Ramsay, who ran against Mr Polanski for leader at the last internal elections, is leading a group of senior Greens calling for a 'conversation about the party's direction'.
Labour vowed to end such pacts with Green councils supporting the controversial motion following the vote, and is expected to provide an update on its plans on Monday. In a sign of things to come, the Labour-Green alliance on Lewes District Council was ended this week through mutual agreement. A Green Party spokesman said: 'We don't provide a running commentary on membership numbers.'
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