Andy Burnham has said he cannot support “a partnership” with the Green Party following their decision to adopt a motion equating Zionism with racism.
At Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Conservative MP Dame Harriet Baldwin raised the recent decision by Zack Polanski’s party and slammed “the Green Party’s descent into the most abhorrent antisemitism”, urging Burnham to “rule out cooperating with them”.
The prime minister responded by condemning the motion passed by the Green Party “unequivocally”.
“It is wrong. It is antisemitic, and this side of the House will have nothing to do with it”, Burnham added.
He continued: “And we will always take the right response when it comes to any partnerships we have with other parties. We cannot support a partnership with a party that holds a position that has recently been adopted.”
Prior to today, the prime minister had refused to explicitly rule out formal agreements with the Green Party in the aftermath of their adoption of the motion, widely condemned by Jewish communal organisations and which has seen calls for the party to be probed by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), Britain’s equalities watchdog.
Speaking to reporters last week, he called on the Green Party to “reverse” their motion, but didn’t rule out potentially working with Zack Polanski’s party.
The prime minister had been under pressure, including from Nigel Farage, to explicitly rule out any coalitions or agreements with the Greens.
Writing in the JC, the leader of Reform UK said: “Labour’s leadership must now speak plainly and immediately. They must reject any electoral alliance with the Greens. They must rule out any coalition whatsoever and make it clear that a party which has chosen antisemitic dogma has no place at the cabinet table.”
Questions remain, however, about the consequences of the prime minister’s words for arrangements Labour has with the Green Party in local government.
In Sheffield and Lewes, the party runs the local authority jointly with Zack Polanski’s party and it is not yet clear whether the prime minister’s words mean that these coalitions must now cease.
Reacting to the prime minister’s words, a spokesperson for Kemi Badenoch backed Burnham’s decision to shun the Green Party.
He pointed to her decision, back in May – prior to the motion being passed by the Green Party – to suspend a Conservative group leader in Worcestershire after he struck a deal with the local Green Party.
“I think Kemi’s made her stance on that quite clear”, he added.
Reacting to the prime minister’s words, a Green Party spokesperson said: "The motion at the Green Party conference has provoked strong debate and there are different views on aspects of the motion but for Andy Burnham to conflate criticism of Israel with antisemitism is disappointing and wrong."
The Labour Party has been contacted for comment.
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