Zack Polanski faces Green Party conference fight over Gaza and London by-election

Internal friction ahead of Brighton conference

The Green Party of England and Wales begins its annual conference in Brighton facing sharp internal debates over foreign policy and internal party governance. A proposed motion titled "Zionism is Racism", which topped a members' ballot of policy issues to be debated, calls on the party to endorse a single Palestinian state and discipline members who support Zionism. The motion is championed by Greens for Palestine, an unaffiliated group that encouraged activists to join the party specifically to back the policy. Party leader Zack Polanski has attempted to soften the measure with amendments permitting a two-state solution if chosen by Palestinians. Lubna Speitan, a co-author of the motion from Greens for Palestine, rejected compromises from the party leadership.

It doesn't matter what the leadership thinks. We are certainly not here to negotiate the terms of our liberation or oppression with any of our oppressors.

Electoral stakes and polling decline

Polanski faces an immediate electoral hurdle on Thursday in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, where he is campaigning to enter Westminster by contesting the seat previously held by former prime minister Keir Starmer. Green membership expanded from previous levels, tripling to more than 200,000 members over the past year, aided by former Jeremy Corbyn supporters and critics of the previous government's policy on Gaza. However, Polanski's personal approval ratings have dropped to minus 24 according to polling by More in Common, matching the rating of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, while Prime Minister Andy Burnham holds a positive rating of 11. The decline followed Polanski's decision to retweet social media criticism of police officers who subdued an armed knife attacker in Golders Green. Manchester University politics professor Rob Ford outlined the pressure on Polanski's leadership.

Assert control over the more radical activists in his party, and make it to Westminster, and he'll undoubtedly have regained momentum. Lose, and the knives might be out with older members asking whether he's really taking the party in the right direction.

Economic and nationalisation policy

Beyond internal disputes, the party leadership is promoting an economic platform centered on public ownership of utilities, rent controls, and wealth taxes. Co-deputy leader Rachel Millward stated that the party intends to fully nationalise water companies across England and Wales, rejecting Andy Burnham's proposals for increased mayoral oversight and lifted shareholding caps as insufficient. The Greens previously estimated in their 2024 manifesto that bringing water companies and five retail energy suppliers into public ownership would cost £30bn over a five-year parliamentary term. In contrast, the government calculated the cost of nationalising the water sector alone at approximately £100bn. The debate occurs while ministers evaluate emergency intervention options for Thames Water, which remains in a severe financial crisis.

Asylum accommodation and social disputes

The party is also challenging government immigration strategy, specifically the use of military installations to house asylum seekers. Millward, who also leads Wealden District Council, criticized plans to accommodate up to 540 men at the Crowborough Training Camp in East Sussex, as well as sites in Oxfordshire, Suffolk, and North Yorkshire. While the Home Office states that using former military sites has saved over £1bn since the general election by reducing reliance on hotels, Millward called for community-based housing and work permits. Separately, the party prohibited the gender-critical group Green Women's Declaration from attending the Brighton conference, stating that their presence would make transgender members feel unsafe.

The best way to reduce the number and this backlog and this kind of situation that we're seeing is to create more safe routes [to apply for asylum].