Katie Williams
Live reporter

Green Party leader Zack Polanski said he won't overturn the party's "Zionism is racism" motion while being quizzed on this week's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg.

"You say it's controversial in the party, but actually there was polling that showed the vast majority of Green voters from 2024 support this policy," he said.

Polanski said he does, however, want to amend the motion "at the first available opportunity" - but added that this wouldn't be until 2028 due to party rules.

Also asked whether Israel has a right to exist, he said that no country has a right to exist but people do.

We also heard from Health Secretary Yvette Cooper on the programme, who said "nobody should be being treated in corridors" as she announced £140m in funding for urgent care in England.

Cooper was also asked whether the government would meet its manifesto target for hospital waiting times - but didn't answer, saying instead that "we need to keep making progress".

Also on the show, shadow work and pensions secretary Helen Whately called on the government ahead of the Budget to back businesses to employ young people.

We're now ending our live coverage - you can read more in our story.

Image source, PA Media

Speaking on the show this morning, Green Party leader Zack Polanski said that the Zionism motion would remain in its current state until 2028.

He explained that was because party rules don't allow policies to be changed any sooner than two years.

The Greens haven't published the specific wording of the rule in question, but there's a good indication from their standing orders for the autumn 2022 conference.

In that document, motions were deemed out of order if they sought "to overturn, or fundamentally amend" a party-wide ballot "within two years of the result of the original ballot being announced".

However, the 2022 standing orders said there was an exception to this if there was a two-thirds majority vote "at a properly convened meeting" of the Green Party Regional Council on the grounds that "exceptional circumstances render it necessary to revisit the original decision in order to protect the well-being of the Party".

It is not clear whether such an exception still exists.

Image source, Getty Images

As we've been reporting, the motion is seen as controversial - with some Jewish groups describing it as an "attack" on the community.

"Zionism is anti-racism, creating a refuge for Jews in their ancient homeland after millennia of persecution outside it," the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council said in a statement.

"Branding most British Jews and Jewish institutions 'racist' stokes anti-Jewish hatred after a year in which British Jews have been murdered attending their synagogue, stabbed in the streets, and seen their community buildings firebombed."

Israel's foreign ministry said the motion was "a stain on the history of the United Kingdom".

The Greens' own joint deputy leaders have been at odds over the motion, with Mothin Ali backing it while Rachel Millward describing the wording as "problematic".

Four of the party's five MPs - Ellie Chowns, Adrian Ramsay and Carla Denyer, Sian Berry - had publicly opposed it, with Denyer arguing it could risk "alienating a significant proportion of Jewish people".

After the Green Party passed the "Zionism is Racism" motion at its conference earlier this month, leader Zack Polanski outlined two amendments he wanted to see.

Speaking after the Green Party's by-election loss in Holborn and St Pancras, Polanski said the reference to a single Palestinian state should be changed.

"I don't believe we as a Green Party of England and Wales, or even the British government, should be deciding what the future settlement looks like," he said.

He had also said he wanted an amendment to specify that it should not be used to discipline Jewish members attending synagogues that consider themselves Zionist.

• As a reminder, he reiterated to Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg today that he wants to amend the motion but said that won't be possible until at least 2028 due to party rules

A little earlier, we heard Zack Polanski say he would not overturn the Green Party's controversial "Zionism is racism" motion.

Here's what else he said as he joined Laura Kuenssberg in the studio:

• "I don't think this is actually controversial," he said of the motion. He added that what he does feel is controversial is that "75,000 Palestinians have been murdered in the last few years"
• "If you talk about what's happening in Palestine right now, people are dying every single day, and my party is unified in saying this government is still arming that genocide," he said
• Asked whether Israel has a right to exist, he said that no country has a right to exist but people do, adding that he wants Israelis and Palestinians to live side-by-side with the same rights
• While he said he was not going to try to overturn the Green Party's motion, he added that he did want to amend it "at the first available opportunity" - but clarified that this wouldn't be until 2028 due to party rules

Here's a reminder of what the motion actually said.

Earlier in the show we heard from Health Secretary Yvette Cooper on the issue of corridor care in hospitals.

Here's a reminder of what she had to say:

• "Nobody should be being treated in corridors," Cooper said, adding that a "major turnaround programme" was under way
• Cooper announced measures including 14 urgent treatment centres, and same day emergency care units, with another 25 that will be open in time for winter
• She has also asked for "urgent new standards drawn up for how children should be treated in A&E"
• Cooper was also asked whether the government would meet its manifesto target for hospital waiting times - but didn't answer, saying instead that "we need to keep making progress" and acknowledged "we've still got a long way to go"

Last in the hot seat was shadow work and pensions secretary, Helen Whately - here's a round-up of her exchange with Laura Kuenssberg:

• Whately says the government needs to "take action in the Budget" and to "back businesses to employ more young people", referencing the one million young people who are not in employment, education or training (Neet)
• She accuses Labour of having "killed jobs" - a reference to the decision to hike National Insurance for employers in the 2024 Autumn Budget
• Asked whether the Conservatives' "tough love" message is the right one, Whately says it is "incredibly distressing" for young people to get repeated job rejections but says we also "need to recognise [that] the welfare system isn't helping people who are struggling with their mental health"
• Asked whether she thinks the younger generation are "too soft", she says the jobs need to be there, but "we do need to send a strong message"
• She adds that people should be "speaking about what they can do, not what they can't", and claims that some young people with ADHD are being told to "sign on" the moment they leave school

Image source, Getty Images

Earlier this month, the Green Party adopted a motion declaring Zionism a form of racism.

Party leader Zack Polanski did not take part in the vote, which he says was because of the Holborn and St Pancras by-election campaign.

The motion, which has divided senior party figures, defines Zionism as a form of racism, and an ideology that supports "an ethnonationalist Jewish state". It also backs a "single democratic Palestinian state in all of historic Palestine".

Members endorsed the policy motion, which was put forward by a group of activists at the party's conference in Brighton, by 1,022 votes to 813.

"The real, material, manifestation of Zionism has been the historic and ongoing dehumanisation, displacement, dispossession, disenfranchisement and destruction of Palestinians," the motion says.

The motion has been widely criticised including by Jewish groups, certain figures within the Green Party, and political opponents.

The equality watchdog has written to the Green Party asking for more information on the motion.

Asked whether he will seek to overturn the motion, Zack Polanski says he's "not going to try to overturn it".

"You say it's controversial in the party, but actually there was polling that showed the vast majority of Green voters from 2024 support this policy," he says.

"I might not agree with every single word in it, I might want to see it amended in the future...[but] I'm not going to try and overturn it."

However, he adds: "At the first available opportunity I do want to amend it. I want to move away from saying 'one state' to saying that Israelis and Palestinians should decide that future for themselves."

Polanski clarifies that the motion will remain in its current state until 2028, as Green Party rules don't allow policies to be changed any sooner than two years.

He adds that he disagrees with the motion backing "a single democratic Palestinian state in all of historic Palestine", saying he supports "whatever the Israelis and Palestinians need to be able to live side by side with equal rights".

"The idea of a two-state solution is for the birds when we've got so many people running for prime minister of Israel in October who are saying they don't support that either," he says.

Zack Polanski says it is his job "to do two things" - to reassure Jewish communities that they won't be excluded under his leadership, and to tell the truth.

"No one will be excluded in the Green Party based on their faith or background" under his leadership, he says, adding that "we absolutely need to stop conflating being Jewish and criticising the Israeli state".

Asked whether he understands that his definition of Zionism offends some Jewish people, Polanski says: "I understand people get offended by all sorts of things in politics."

Polanski says he supports everyone's right to self-determination "but not at the expense of another group, because that's racist".

Asked whether he thinks Israel has a right to exist, he says no country has a right to exist and that people have a right to exist, adding that he wants Israelis and Palestinians to live side-by-side with the same rights.

Green Party leader Zack Polanski is next in the hot seat - he's asked about his party's motion that declared Zionism a form of racism.

"I don't think this is actually controversial," he says, adding that what he feels is controversial "is that 75,000 Palestinians have been murdered in the last few years, including more child amputees than ever in modern history".

Asked again if Zionism is racism, Polanski says that he doesn't want to debate semantics, and he's been on TV repeatedly saying that Zionism is racist "in the practical application of it".

"If you talk about what's happening in Palestine right now, people are dying every single day, and my party is unified in saying this government is still arming that genocide," he says.

Polanski says he wants "equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians", and the practical application of Zionism "hasn't resulted in that".

Asked whether NHS waiting list figures are going in the wrong direction, Cooper says "overall waiting times have been coming down" and that the NHS has seen the biggest increase in the number of people being seen within 18 weeks for "many years".

She also says a there is a record number of hospital appointments and treatments taking place.

Extreme heat has added to pressures over summer, she says, and an increase in GP appointments means more referrals into hospitals.

Laura Kuenssberg points to projections looking at whether the government is on track to meet an 18-week waiting time target by 2029 - she suggests it is "miles off". Is the government still committed to meeting this target?

Cooper says this is a constitutional target for the NHS so "absolutely we have to keep going and keep making progress".

"The NHS is dealing with a lot of challenges," Cooper says, but adds that it is "only part way" through its turnaround plan, adding that while people are being "treated much faster...we've still got a long way to go".

Next, the health secretary is asked about the case of two-year-old Finley Roberts, who died after nine hours of being treated not in a bed but other parts of a hospital.

Finley's mother Liz Roberts says corridor care robs people of dignity when they're at their most vulnerable.

Asked about the case, Cooper begins by apologising to Finley's parents "on behalf of the NHS", before going on to say: "No child should be treated in a corridor, no patient should be treated in a corridor."

Responding to claims that the issue is getting worse, Cooper says: " I think we need urgent action to address corridor care and support for children."

Cooper says she has asked for "urgent new standards drawn up for how children should be treated in A&E, including an urgent plan to eliminate corridor care for children as a priority".

When asked whether she will move resources from other areas to address this, Cooper responds that "child care needs to be a much greater priority".

Cooper says the government is today announcing measures to tackle a rise in corridor care, including 14 urgent treatment centres, and same day emergency care units, with another 25 that will be open in time for winter.

She highlights the example of Watford, saying the hospital has "managed to get rid of corridor care" after a "really bad problem" previously.

They "changed their whole systems" so "we know that it can be done", Cooper says.

She says action is needed to prevent people going into hospital in the first place, as well as new systems in hospitals for additional capacity.

Cooper references the £140m of funding announced today for urgent care in England.

There have been some improvements over the past two years, she says, but adds: "We have to go a lot further."

First in the hot seat today is Health Secretary Yvette Cooper, who is asked whether she will make corridor care her number one priority.

In a letter shown to the BBC, 16 different health groups have demanded urgent action from the government on this issue.

"Nobody should be being treated in corridors," Cooper says, adding that this is "not the standard of care we want to see".

She calls it a problem that the government "inherited" and adds that a "major turnaround programme" is under way.

Cue the music! This week's episode is now beginning.

As a reminder, you can watch live at the top of this page, on BBC One, iPlayer, and we'll bring you text updates throughout.

Earlier this week, Labour said it would end power-sharing agreements with the Green Party on local councils, unless its councillors disown the party's newly-adopted policy that Zionism is a form of racism.

Labour says it will give local Green groups seven days to confirm they reject the policy, which was recently approved by Green members at its party conference.

The ultimatum applies to 18 councils where it shares power with the Greens, either directly or alongside other parties.

The Greens hit back at the move, accusing Labour of meddling and arguing it would be undemocratic for the party to "tell local parties what to do".

It comes after Andy Burnham said he would not support his party forming a partnership with the Green Party as long as it maintains a policy of defining Zionism as a form of racism.

Speaking in the House of Commons on Wednesday, the prime minister said the motion was "wrong" and "antisemitic" and Labour would have "nothing to do with it".

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has since written to the Green Party asking for more information, saying it recognised that "many Jewish people will be feeling vulnerable" following the motion.

Ian Aikman
Live reporter

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

The NHS is facing a more challenging winter than normal, the health secretary says, after multiple heatwaves led to its busiest summer on record in England.

Yvette Cooper has announced £140m funding to boost urgent care capacity as part of an effort to deal with the impact of seasonal illnesses, including flu and norovirus.

The money will go towards 14 schemes across England, including new urgent care centres, ambulance fleets and upgrades to emergency departments.

Shadow health secretary Damian Hinds says the government needs to act, but has asked it to explain where the money is coming from. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) England says the funding is "just another sticking plaster".

Cooper says: "Winter will be more challenging for our NHS this year, after such a heavy summer.

"That's why we have been preparing early and investing in extra urgent care capacity to help get patients the care they need."

Yvette Cooper will be speaking to Laura Kuenssberg on this morning's show, you can watch live above.

Ewan Somerville, Jennifer McKiernan and Harry Farley
Political reporters and Political correspondent

Image source, Reuters

Zack Polanski vowed to stay on as Green Party leader after his by-election defeat, in the face of pressure from within his own party to resign.

Polanski, who came second in the 8 October Holborn and St Pancras by-election, said in the wake of the defeat that he would "absolutely" stay on as leader and he "of course" had not questioned that.

The Greens had hoped to take the seat, previously held by former Prime Minister Keir Starmer, on the heels of a by-election success earlier this year when Hannah Spencer scooped Gorton and Denton in February and pushed Labour to third place.

But Polanski lost out to Labour's Sagal Abdi-Wali - who secured 45% of the vote to his 33% - although the Green vote share was up by 22 percentage points on the 2024 general election.

Speaking on election night, Polanski said: "Of course I can carry on as leader of the Green Party.

"Yes, I've taken a loss tonight but our movement is so much bigger than one election or one motion."

• Read more from our political team

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Brexit is back - Andy Burnham told MPs he would push for new deals with the EU at a summit next month. The PM has committed to Labour's current red lines but did not rule out a new manifesto, which could include re-joining the EU.

As the Budget approaches, Chancellor John Healey is planning to increase taxes on the banking sector, senior banking executives have told the BBC - a move criticised by the industry's trade body, UK Finance.

Reform UK have made headlines, with Nigel Farage insisting the party doesn’t have a vetting issue, after ITV News broadcast undercover filming of some of its councillors and candidates using racist, violent and sexist language.

Meanwhile, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced political figures who aren’t MPs will be given police support, saying there is "insufficient protection" for those serving in public life.

And at the closing speech of the SNP's conference in Aberdeen on Saturday, First Minister John Swinney took aim at those who think Scotland "should be just like Manchester" as he vowed Scotland would soon be an independent nation.