All timelines
PoliticsUnited Kingdom

Green Party's 'Zionism is racism' vote: equalities watchdog writes to the party to probe its impact

54 articles from 8 sources
First reported on Sunday 4 October 2026 at 10:15 EDT by The Guardian·Latest article on Sunday 18 October 2026 at 06:50 EDT

Summary

Delegates at the Green Party of England and Wales conference in Brighton voted on Sunday 4 October to adopt a policy equating Zionism with racism, by 1,022 votes to 813, a motion condemned as 'poisonous antisemitism' by chief rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis, Israel called the motion antisemitic and barred party leader Zack Polanski from entering the country, and the European Green Party said the motion goes against its policy. Green MP Ellie Chowns said on 10 October there had been a 'lack of leadership' from Polanski on the motion and Polanski signalled on 11 October that Green leaders could get more power over policy, the Evening Standard and The Independent reported, and pro-Palestine Greens called on 13 October for former party leader Caroline Lucas to be ousted, according to The Independent. On Thursday 15 October, the Equality and Human Rights Commission wrote to the Green Party to probe the impact of the policy, saying it recognised 'many Jewish people will be feeling vulnerable following the party's motion', the Evening Standard and The Independent reported. On 17 October the Scottish Green co-leader called the 'Zionism is racism' debate 'unhelpful', the two outlets reported, and on 18 October both reported that Polanski will not try to overturn the policy, amid Polanski's worst poll rating as Green leader, BBC News saying the motion will stand until 2028 and Metro UK that Polanski will try to tweak it in 2028.

Latest: The Evening Standard and The Independent reported that Zack Polanski will not try to overturn the 'Zionism is racism' policy, which will stand until 2028 according to BBC News, The Independent quoting Polanski as insisting the motion 'isn't controversial' and Metro UK saying Polanski will try to tweak the policy in 2028, amid Polanski's worst poll rating as Green leader.

Written automatically by an AI from the articles' headlines and descriptions. It can contain errors: follow the links to read the articles.

How it unfolded

  1. Sunday 18 October

    The Evening Standard and The Independent reported that Zack Polanski will not try to overturn the 'Zionism is racism' policy, which will stand until 2028 according to BBC News, The Independent quoting Polanski as insisting the motion 'isn't controversial' and Metro UK saying Polanski will try to tweak the policy in 2028, amid Polanski's worst poll rating as Green leader.

  2. Saturday 17 October

    The Scottish Green co-leader said the 'Zionism is racism' debate was 'unhelpful' and described the question of Israel's right to exist as a 'difficult one', the Evening Standard and The Independent reported.

  3. Thursday 15 October

    The Equality and Human Rights Commission wrote to the Green Party to probe the impact of its 'Zionism is racism' policy, saying it recognised 'many Jewish people will be feeling vulnerable following the party's motion', the Evening Standard and The Independent reported, and BBC News said the party had been reported to the commission by MPs and antisemitism campaigners.

  4. Tuesday 13 October

    Pro-Palestine Greens called for former party leader Caroline Lucas, a vocal critic of the 'Zionism is racism' motion, to be ousted, The Independent reported, and the Evening Standard reported activists plotting to oust Caroline Lucas.

  5. Sunday 11 October

    Zack Polanski signalled that Green leaders could get more power over policy amid the row over the 'Zionism is racism' vote, saying the party's rapid growth means its structures need to change.

  6. Saturday 10 October

    Green MP Ellie Chowns said the party must guard against 'capture by extremists and racists' and that there had been a 'lack of leadership' from Zack Polanski on the 'Zionism is racism' motion.

  7. Tuesday 6 October

    Zack Polanski issued a statement saying the Greens will 'not accept any exclusion' of people based on religion, as the row over the party's 'Zionism is racism' policy continues.

  8. Monday 5 October

    The chief rabbi condemned the motion as 'poisonous antisemitism', the European Green Party said it goes against its policy, and Zack Polanski said the Greens will 'not accept any exclusion' of people based on religion.

  9. Sunday 4 October

    The UK Green Party passed a motion equating Zionism with racism, leading to the party leader being barred from entering Israel.

More timelines: Politics (United Kingdom)