Labour ends co-operation with the Greens in 11 councils over the Green Party's 'Zionism is racism' motion

Labour is ending power-sharing arrangements with the Green Party in 11 English councils over the Greens' 'Zionism is racism' motion, passed at their autumn conference. Labour chair Bridget Phillipson said it 'crosses a line and we cannot work with any party that supports it'. Prime Minister Andy Burnham called the motion 'antisemitic' last month.

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L 40% · C 20% · R 40% · 15 outlets

Left 1 · Centre-left 5 · Centre 3 · Centre-right 2 · Right 4

Context Sources by lean Video Deep dive Follow the money More coverage

How each side framed it

Left-leaning outlets

'Labour end coalition with Greens in English and Welsh councils over Zionism motion' (The National); 'Full list of councils where Labour is ending coalitions with the Greens' (Left Foot Forward); 'Labour Ends Power-Sharing With Green Councils' (Novara Media).

Centre outlets

Centre-rated outlets headline it: “Labour To Cease Cooperation With Greens On 11 Councils Over Zionism Motion” (PoliticsHome); “Labour ends power-sharing deals with Greens over ‘Zionism is racism’ policy” (Financial Times).

Right-leaning outlets

'Labour pulls out of 11 local coalitions with Greens over 'Zionism is racism' motion' (The Jewish Chronicle); 'Zionism vote limits Green appeal, MP admits as council pacts collapse' (The Times); 'Labour COLLAPSES deals with Greens in 11 councils' (The Sun).

Context

The wider geopolitical and historical background, in our words, each point linked to the source it comes from. Background, not a verdict on today's story. How we write it.

Councils with no single majority party are run by coalitions or minority administrations, which depend on cross-party deals.

A hung council is one where no party has an overall majority. Hung council
The Green Party of England and Wales is the party at the centre of this dispute. Green Party of England and Wales

Checked 2026-11-03. Links were opened and returned a page that day.

Search for more (live results, not checked by us): Wikipedia search · Explainers (Google News search) · Background and history (Google News search)

Sources by lean

Balanced: the same number of articles from the left, the centre and the right (up to 3 each). The bar above still counts every rated outlet we found. Bias and factual ratings come from Media Bias/Fact Check. How we balance · All ratings.

Showing 3 from each side of 15 rated outlets (L 6 / C 3 / R 6). More coverage

Video

News reports from outlets with a bias rating, balanced like the articles: the same number from the left, the centre and the right. A side with no matching video is named, never padded. Every video was checked to exist on YouTube on the day; titles are the publishers' own. Links open YouTube; nothing from YouTube loads on this page. How we pick.

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Centre 0

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Right 0

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Deep dive

The two opposites side by side, seeking to understand rather than judge. These are possible readings of the coverage, built from the articles linked on this page; they are not claims about anyone's motives. How we write it.

Seen from the left

“Labour pulls out of council power-sharing deals with Green Party over Zionism row” Daily Mirror

A possible reading: the Greens say the motion is about Palestinian rights.

Seen from the right

“Labour to ditch coalition with Greens in 11 councils over 'Zionism is racism' stance” Daily Express

A possible reading: a party that backs the motion cannot be a partner in local government.

What each side may be protecting: Labour: its stance against antisemitism. Greens: a position they say is about Palestinian rights.

What they agree on

Where they truly differ

The Green Party said it would 'not take lectures' from a government (Middle East Eye); BBC reports Sheffield's Labour and Green groups splitting over the policy.

The paradox

Left-leaning outlets list the councils and quote the Greens' reply; right-leaning outlets lead with the collapse and the party's reduced appeal.

Open questions

Which 11 councils are affected and what happens to their budgets?
What exactly does the motion say, in the Greens' own words?
Shared question: how should councils run services where parties disagree on Israel and Palestine?

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 (15 outlets)

Outlet	Lean	Ownership & funding (MBFC)
Novara Media	Left	Thousand Hands Ltd, a not-for-profit company, owns and publishes Novara Media. Donations, sales of merchandise, and tickets for events generate revenue. Novara Media disclaims that they have received funding from the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, a transnational alternative policy lobby group and educational institution centered in Germany and affiliated with the democratic socialist Left Party. source
Daily Mirror	Centre-left	British Publishing Company Reach plc (formerly Trinity Mirror) owns The Daily Mirror. Revenue is generated through digital advertising, print ads, and subscription fees. source
Left Foot Forward	Centre-left	They are transparent, stating Left Foot Forward is “funded by grassroots reader support, partnerships, and advertising. Before 2018, LFF was funded largely through our membership of media cooperative Political Pixel, which was funded largely by trade unions. We are committed to transparency and publish details of any donors who contribute more than £5,000 in any calendar year. source
Middle East Eye	Centre-left	The Middle East Eye lacks transparency as it does not easily provide ownership information. The website requires that you find ownership information on their Terms and Conditions page, which indicates M.E.E Ltd is the owner. The website also does not indicate that Jamal Bessasso is the owner of M.E.E Ltd. source
The Guardian	Centre-left	The Guardian and its companion publication, the Sunday newspaper The Observer, are owned by Guardian Media Group plc (GMG). Scott Trust Limited was created in 1936 to ensure the editorial independence of the publications and owns Guardian Media Group plc (GMG). source
The National (Scotland)	Centre-left	The National is operated by Newsquest Media Group Ltd., a UK-based local media publisher. Newsquest is a wholly owned subsidiary of USA TODAY Co., Inc., the media company formerly known as Gannett Company, which also controls AZthe USA TODAY Network of national and local news outlets in the United States and regional titles in the United Kingdom. Revenue is generated from advertising and subscription sales source
BBC News	Centre	The BBC operates under a Royal Charter. Oversight is managed by the BBC Board, and regulatory authority rests with Ofcom. source
Financial Times	Centre	The Financial Times is owned by The Nikkei, a Japanese news and financial information company that publishes the leading financial paper, The Nikkei. The FT generates revenue through subscriptions, a hard paywall, and advertising..push({}); source
PoliticsHome	Centre	PoliticsHome.com is owned by Political Holdings Ltd, a media company controlled by Michael Ashcroft, a former Conservative House of Lords peer, and longtime party donor. The website previously belonged to Dods Group plc, a publishing company specializing in UK public policy and politics. source
The Jewish Chronicle	Centre-right	In 2020, The Jewish Chronicle was purchased by a consortium of philanthropists led by Sir Robbie Gibb and others, rescuing the paper from financial collapse. However, the full details of its ownership and funding remain unclear, as the financial backers of the consortium have not been fully disclosed. Speculation about involvement from figures such as billionaire Paul E. 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 Express	Right	The Daily Express is owned by Reach plc (formerly known as Trinity Mirror), a British newspaper, magazine, and digital publisher. Subscriptions, newsstand sales, and advertising generate revenue. source
GB News	Right	GB News lacks transparency as they do not disclose ownership. A search reveals that London-based ALL Perspectives Ltd owns GB News. According to Reuters, the television channel “secured millions of dollars from investors such as Discovery Inc, Legatum and hedge fund manager Paul Marshall. source
The Sun	Right	The Sun is published by the News Group Newspapers division of News UK, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. The paper generates revenue through advertising, newsstand sales, and subscriptions. 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