The former co-leader says the party is at a ‘real crossroads’ over its internal democracy, as a conference motion on Israel draws attention from the equalities watchdog and Labour
Adrian Ramsay, the former Green Party co-leader, has warned that the party risks a “hard left takeover” unless leader Zack Polanski fixes its internal democracy. Speaking to the BBC, he said the party was at a “real crossroads” after October’s conference passed a motion describing Zionism as racism. He argued that a small number of people had used “divisive” tactics to push it through, and called for it to be changed or rescinded sooner than the two years Mr Polanski has said party rules require.
‘A very different culture’
Mr Ramsay said some recent recruits from the “very hard left of politics” might be “more at home in the SWP or with George Galloway or with Your Party”. He said such people “not only want to adopt some very hardline positions on certain issues, but have a very different culture to how they go about it”. He said they were “seeking to change the direction of the party”.
He urged Mr Polanski to restate the party’s “core values” and “ways of working”, and said the Greens should be “much more about consensus building, much less about highly fractional, highly tribal politics, and of course about the environment”. He said refocusing on climate and the cost of living would “unite” members and keep the party’s wide appeal.
On the motion, he said: “It was 0.4 per cent of members who voted for this. And I don’t think that’s reflective of party members as a whole, it’s certainly not reflective of those I speak to.” He also said Mr Polanski should have attended the recent Holborn and St Pancras by-election and “expressed his view clearly”.
The conference vote
The motion passed on 4 October by 1,022 votes to 813, or 55.7% to 44.3%, according to the party’s official result. That is a margin of 209 from 1,835 votes cast, in a party with more than 200,000 members. The Green Party’s announcement said the motion also backed the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, a full arms embargo on Israel, the Palestinian right of return, and a single democratic state across historic Palestine. The party maintains that opposing Zionism is not automatically antisemitic. Critics say the wording could marginalise Jewish members who identify as Zionists.
The BBC reported that Mr Polanski had opposed two parts of the original proposal. He wanted the party not to decide whether Israelis and Palestinians should live in one state, and wanted explicit protection against disciplining Jewish members who attend synagogues that identify as Zionist. Both amendments were rejected. He told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg on 18 October that he would respect the vote but wanted changes when the rules allowed, and said a bar on revisiting a motion for two years could leave it in place until 2028. The BBC found a 2022 rule allowing a two-thirds majority of the Regional Council to revisit decisions in exceptional circumstances, but could not establish whether it still applies.
Watchdog and Labour
The Equality and Human Rights Commission confirmed on 15 October that it had written to the party about the policy, as it assesses complaints alleging possible unlawful discrimination against Jewish people under the Equality Act 2010. It said it was at the initial assessment stage and had not launched a formal investigation. The same day, the Guardian reported Labour chair Bridget Phillipson had told Labour-run councils to review power-sharing deals with Green councillors unless local Green groups rejected the policy. The Times reported on 30 October that up to eight coalitions could be affected. The Greens called this interference in local democracy.
Divisions and numbers
Deputy leaders Mothin Ali and Rachel Millward took different positions, with Mr Ali backing the motion and Ms Millward raising concerns about its wording. MP Ellie Chowns has called for a review of the party’s policy-making system, and former leader Caroline Lucas criticised Mr Polanski for missing the conference debate. Mr Polanski has said that environmental, racial, social and economic justice are interconnected.
The Times reported that membership has fallen by about 18,000 from a May peak of 230,000. The group Greens Organise, which backs Mr Polanski, said more than 150,000 members joined under his leadership. Mr Polanski won 84.1% in September 2025, defeating a ticket involving Mr Ramsay and Carla Denyer. He has said he will stand again in summer 2027. Mr Ramsay says he is neither seeking his resignation nor planning to leave the party.
