Labour councils in power-sharing arrangements with the Green party have been instructed to end these agreements if their Green partners do not condemn the Green party's new "Zionism is racism" policy.
Bridget Phillipson, the Labour chair, stated that local Labour groups working with Green party politicians must "review" their agreements and terminate them unless the controversial motion is rejected. Andy Burnham previously called the motion "antisemitic" and ruled out Labour having a partnership with the Greens.
The policy, adopted at the Green party conference in Brighton on 4 October by 1,022 votes to 813, equates Zionism with racism. It also rejects a two-state solution and advocates for Israel to be replaced by a single Palestinian state with equal rights for all.
Phillipson added that Labour would bring any local arrangement to an end if Green groups are unable to provide assurance that they reject this position and call on their national leadership to reconsider. A spokesperson for the Green party of England and Wales called Labour's stance "disappointing and wrong," and criticised attempts to influence local parties as "undemocratic."
Four of the Greens’ five MPs opposed the new policy. Zack Polanski, the Green party leader, abstained from the vote and later indicated he would not have voted for the motion without amendments that were voted down.