Polanski faces Green Party rules blocking reversal of Zionism motion

The party's Westminster leader, MP Ellie Chowns, said the Greens need to make sure they are not vulnerable to capture by extremists and racists. The Equalities and Human Rights Commission wrote to the party after receiving complaints about possible discrimination, and the chair of the Jewish Greens called on Polanski to resign.

Green MPs who believe the motion is a mistake are trying to work out how to reverse or amend it. Under the party's constitution, members cannot bring a motion or amendment that significantly amends a policy for two years after it is voted through. The five members of the Standing Orders Committee decide whether that threshold is met; three of the current members are backed by Greens for Palestine, which proposed the motion. A former committee member told POLITICO that not a single one of the committee would allow an amendment to be put forward, adding: "There's simply no way round it. It is cast-iron."

Polanski has discussed a structural overhaul of party democracy only in general terms. Party leaders issued a joint statement in October saying an update was needed to deal with membership that has grown from roughly 60,000 to more than 200,000 under his leadership, with a first stage of improvements expected to be brought for a vote at Spring Conference. A Green Party spokesperson said the work was not a direct response to the Zionism row, saying the party had long needed to consider how members can engage effectively.

Polanski told the BBC in October that he would not seek to overturn the motion himself and would not be able to even if he wanted to. A Green Party official told POLITICO his stance, seeking amendments at the first available opportunity in 2028, remains unchanged.

Doug Rouxel, former deputy chair of the party's executive committee, said the rules were written to avoid flip-flopping and that revisiting motions would mean repeatedly debating contentious issues. He said Polanski does not have the power to intervene in democratic processes. Adrian Ramsay, a former leader, told POLITICO the governance proposals had a good chance of being heard at the spring conference, but said movement on the motion itself in that period was harder and essential. A former committee member said it would take a miracle for a governance motion to be heard at the spring conference.