Ed Davey has ruled out the Liberal Democrats entering a national partnership with the Green Party over its policy declaring “Zionism is racism”.
In a letter to the Jewish Leadership Council and the Board of Deputies of British Jews, dated Monday 19 October, the Lib Dem leader wrote: “I can therefore rule out our party entering into a national partnership with any party that is committed to a dangerous and antisemitic policy like the Green Party’s.”
Green members voted by 1,022 to 813 at the party’s conference in Brighton on 4 October to declare Zionism a form of racism and to back a “single democratic Palestinian state in all of historic Palestine”. Four of the party’s five MPs expressed opposition to the motion, as did former Green leader Caroline Lucas. Zack Polanski, the Green Party leader, did not vote. He left the conference early to campaign in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, in which he was a candidate.
Davey’s letter was addressed to Keith Black, the chair of the Jewish Leadership Council, and Phil Rosenberg, the president of the Board of Deputies. He thanked them for meeting him to discuss what he called “the very serious matter of the Green Party’s new official policy that declares ‘Zionism is racism’”.
He said: “I am appalled by their policy. It is deeply offensive and antisemitic, and it risks fuelling the violence and intimidation faced by the Jewish community across the country.”
Davey wrote: “I utterly condemn the policy, and I call on the Green Party to reverse it immediately.”
The letter did not include an explicit call for existing council arrangements with the Greens to end – a step Labour has said it would take if local Green groups do not reject the motion.
Speaking at prime minister’s questions last week, Andy Burnham also ruled out a future deal with the Green Party over its position on Zionism. “It is wrong. It is antisemitic, and this side of the House will have nothing to do with it”, he stated.
The prime minister added: “We cannot support a partnership with a party that holds a position that has recently been adopted.”
Bridget Phillipson, the chair of the Labour Party, then went further and called on local Green groups to disown the Zionism motion. Labour groups were asked to write to their local Green counterparts seeking a clear statement that they reject the “Zionism is Racism” policy. If these conditions were not met, Labour said that any local power-sharing arrangement in place would end.
In his letter, Davey said that Liberal Democrat council groups that had entered into arrangements with Green Party councillors before the motion was passed have been asked to demand that those Green Party councillors publicly reject it, and campaign for its reversal.
He wrote: “We are a party that is committed to local democracy, and I know that Liberal Democrat councillors across the country will stand firm against antisemitism and do everything they can to ensure that Jewish people are safe and feel safe in their communities.
“Where our council groups entered into arrangements with Green Party councillors before this antisemitic motion was passed, we are asking their leaders to put a clear demand to those Green Party councillors: publicly reject this motion, and commit to campaigning for its reversal.”
The Liberal Democrats are in coalition with the Greens in 22 authorities, including Birmingham, Southwark and Devon.
