Greens face defections and reported membership losses over the 'Zionism is racism' motion, as Newquay's mayor leaves for Labour
Drew Creek, Mayor of Newquay and leader of the Green group on Cornwall Council, has joined Labour, saying the party's 'Zionism is racism' conference motion 'crossed a line'. The Cornwall Green Party said it was 'deeply saddened'. Reports differ on membership losses: The Times says 18,000 members have left since May, and the Daily Mail says 20,000.
Left 0 · Centre-left 0 · Centre 1 · Centre-right 1 · Right 2
Blindspot for the left (barely covered by left-leaning outlets)
ContextSources by leanVideoDeep diveFollow the moneyMore coverage
How each side framed it
Left-leaning outlets
No left-rated outlet in our sample covered it; the centre-rated BBC led with the Newquay mayor's defection.
Centre outlets
Centre-rated outlets headline it: “Mayor defects from Greens after 'Zionism is racism' motion” (BBC News).
Right-leaning outlets
Party in crisis: 'Green Party loses 20,000 members in backlash over 'Zionism is racism' vote' (Daily Mail); 'Senior Greens warn party being taken over by pro-Palestinian activists' (The Times).
Context
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Sources by lean
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Left 0
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Centre 1
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Video
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Deep dive
A short prompt for thinking it through. We write a fuller side-by-side deep dive for the day's biggest stories.
The paradox: A motion meant to oppose racism is being criticised by Jewish groups as divisive.
What each side may be protecting: Critics: Jewish members and a broad party. Supporters of the motion: Palestinian rights.
A question to hold: Shared question: what wording would let members on both sides stay?
Try it: open one left and one right article in Sources by lean and note what each takes for granted.
Follow the money
Not yet researched. We haven't yet looked at who gains or loses financially from this story, or who funds the main voices on each side. When we do, we check company filings, the Electoral Commission donations register, lobbying registers, annual reports, InfluenceMap and OpenSecrets, and we apply the same checks to every side. How we follow the money.
Who owns or funds the outlets covering this story (4 outlets)
| Outlet | Lean | Ownership & funding (MBFC) |
|---|---|---|
| BBC News | Centre | The BBC operates under a Royal Charter. Oversight is managed by the BBC Board, and regulatory authority rests with Ofcom. source |
| The Times | Centre-right | The Times and Sunday Times is owned by News UK (News Corp UK & Ireland Limited), which American News Corp owns. The owner and Executive Chairman of News Corp are Rupert Murdoch. Revenue is derived from advertising and subscription fees. source |
| Daily Mail | Right | The Daily Mail is published by Associated Newspapers Limited, part of Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT). DMGT is controlled by the Rothermere family and is 100% owned by Rothermere Continuation Limited. Jonathan Harmsworth, 4th Viscount Rothermere, serves as Chairman..push({}); DMGT became privately owned after delisting from the London Stock Exchange in 2022. source |
| The Telegraph | Right | Telegraph Media Group (TMG) owns The Telegraph, which is owned by Press Acquisitions Ltd., which in turn is owned by Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay. In 2004, Twin Brothers Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay acquired the Daily Telegraph and the Sunday Telegraph from the Canadian media company Hollinger Inc. for £665 million. For a complete list of Board members, see here. source |
Social pulse
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X: 106 posts matching “Greens Zionism motion -is:retweet”
AI-generated summary of X posts, written by X. Not verified fact.
UK Green Party Warns of Activist Takeover and Membership Plunge
Membership fell from 231,000 to 213,000 after the autumn conference passed a motion calling Zionism racism and supporting a single Palestinian state, opposed by four of five MPs. Adrian Ramsay, former co-leader, plans to criticize the direction under leader Zack Polanski, amid scandals and rifts over antisemitism that have led to budget cuts. Critics blame the motion for alienating members and risking council deals, while supporters see it as upholding justice values; both sides call for unity ahead of elections.
Updated 31 Oct 00:26 UK time · View on X