Councillor quits Greens for Tories over Zionism vote

A Green Party councillor has defected to the Conservatives in protest at his former party's decision to declare Zionism a form of racism.

Daniel Potter, who sits on Babergh District Council in Suffolk, made the move following the Greens' conference at the weekend in Brighton and he is thought to be the first Green politician to defect to another party because of the new policy.

He said the vote about Zionism, which had brought condemnation and divided the party, "disturbs me greatly".

Deborah Shaw, Green council leader at Babergh, said she was saddened to hear about Potter's defection, and added that the local party "stands four-square against any form of antisemitism and Islamophobia".

Sunday's vote at the Green Party conference defined Zionism as an ideology supporting "an ethnonationalist Jewish state" and backed a "single democratic Palestinian state in all of historic Palestine".

That went against previous party policy, which supported both Israel and a Palestinian state.

"This vote disturbs me greatly," said Potter, who was elected as a Green councillor in 2023 and represents Orwell ward, which includes the villages of Belstead, Chelmondiston, Freston, Tattingstone, Wherstead and Woolverstone.

"I don't think a small number of individuals should dictate party policy in this way. I am also not impressed with the way the leadership handled this; they could have delayed or amended it.

"This vote has left many in the party feeling politically homeless. I decided to join the Conservatives because I have been impressed with Kemi Badenoch as leader."

The Green Party motion was passed by 1,022 votes to 813, and only those at the conference were able to vote.

It was criticised by some Jewish groups, who called the motion an "attack on the Jewish community".

The party leader, Zack Polanski, who did not take part in the vote, was subsequently banned by the Israeli authorities from entering the country.

Speaking after the vote, Lubna Speitan, who proposed the motion, argued its backers wanted to voice opposition to "racist systems of oppression".

"We stand united against all forms of racism and discrimination - no exemptions," she said.

The vote was condemned by four of the five Green MPs, including Adrian Ramsay, who is MP for Waveney Valley, which straddles the Norfolk/Suffolk border.

"It doesn't reflect my view, and I don't think it reflects long-standing Green principles either," said Ramsay, who is a former deputy leader of the Greens at national level.

"The manifesto I was elected on in 2024 made clear that Israel and Palestinians should have equal rights, including to statehood and self-determination."

Shaw added that the only way to guarantee peace in the Middle East and "end the horror that is continuing in Gaza and the West Bank is a two-state solution that delivers security and equal rights for both Israelis and Palestinians".

She said the local party condemned "any action that makes Jewish people in the UK feel unsafe".

The national party directed the BBC to a recent statement by Polanski, who said: "I take seriously my responsibility to make sure everyone feels safe and welcome in our party.

"No-one will be made unwelcome because of their background, their faith, or where they worship.

"Together, we exemplify everything this party stands for: we come from different backgrounds, faiths and traditions, but we share our deeply held values of compassion, fairness and equality for all."

Potter's defection does not alter political control of the council.

Babergh District Council has no single party in overall control and the leadership of the council rotates between the Greens, Liberal Democrats and independents, whose councillors form the cabinet.

The last round of elections, for all 32 councillors, was in 2023. Current numbers are:

• Green - 9
• Independent - 9
• Conservative - 7
• Liberal Democrat - 4
• Reform UK - 2
• Labour - 1

The next round of elections would normally take place in 2027, depending on what happens with the local government reorganisation review.

Reform mounted a legal challenge to the central government move to abolish the county and district council two-tier system in Suffolk and replace it with one-tier unitary councils.

Labour has put those plans on hold, although it confirmed last month that local elections would take place next May based on existing council boundaries.

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