British Prime Minister Andy Burnham called on Green Party leader Zack Polanski to reverse a party conference motion defining Zionism as racism.
Andy Burnham and Other Leaders Condemn the Brighton Conference Vote
Prime Minister Andy Burnham condemned the motion passed on Sunday, October 4, 2026, at the Green Party conference in Brighton, describing it as a completely wrong decision
that showed terrible judgement,
according to Manchester Evening News. Speaking in Berlin on Thursday, October 8, the Prime Minister urged Green leadership to state plainly that the resolution will be reversed and dropped from party policy.
The controversial text defines Zionism as an ideology supporting an ethnonationalist Jewish state and commits the party to treating Zionism like any other form of racism. It also backs the establishment of a single democratic Palestinian state across historic Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital. Delegates approved the measure by 1,022 votes to 813.
“This weekend, the Green Party of England and Wales crossed a line. A dangerous line. One that it is unacceptable to cross.”
Tony Blair, former Prime Minister, via Daily Mail
Former Labour Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair added to the political pressure, warning Burnham in an article for The Free Press not to enter into any electoral alliance with the Greens. Blair argued that since a vast majority of British Jews identify as Zionists, the resolution effectively brands the nation’s Jewish population as racists.
Green Party MPs and Leaders Divide over Motion
The conference decision exposed deep fractures within the Green Party itself. Four of the party’s five MPs opposed the motion, and its leadership figures divided sharply. Caroline Lucas, the Greens’ first MP elected in 2010, criticized the proposal, telling reporters she held serious concerns that it would prove divisive and signal that Jewish people are unwelcome in the party.
On Wednesday, Waveney Valley MP Adrian Ramsay—who secured his place as the organization’s inaugural male co-leader during the 2024 General Election—declined to rule out his departure from the party, stating that he was keeping all options open at this juncture. Meanwhile, the fallout claimed a prominent leadership figure when Phil Davies, deputy leader of the Wales Green Party, announced his resignation after seven years of membership.
Zack Polanski Defends Party Inclusivity During By-Election Campaign
Green Party leader Zack Polanski, who is Jewish, did not vote on the motion, having left the conference early to return to London for the by-election campaign.
“As leader I will not accept any exclusion, or refusal to engage with anyone, because of the religious or communal body they are part of. I take seriously my responsibility to make sure everyone feels safe and welcome in our party.”
Zack Polanski, Green Party Leader, via Daily Mail
The Holborn and St Pancras by-election was triggered after Sir Keir Starmer announced his parliamentary departure last month, following a revolt by Labour MPs that removed him from Downing Street and installed Burnham as Britain’s seventh prime minister since 2016. Labour candidate Sagal Abdi-Wali faced Polanski in a traditional Labour stronghold where Starmer secured nearly 49 percent of the vote in the 2024 general election, with the Greens finishing third on 10.4 percent.
International Repercussions and Israeli Travel Restrictions
The motion drew an immediate international rebuke. Israel’s foreign ministry labeled the resolution a clear antisemitic text and announced that Polanski was officially barred from entering Israel. British Jewish organizations and other mainstream political figures also condemned the decision, pointing out that the resolution effectively rejects the two-state solution to the Middle East backed by the United Nations.