Labour's split with the Greens over the 'Zionism is racism' motion continues to bite, as a Green councillor joins Labour and Warwick's council leader faces a vote, the BBC reports
Labour's NEC told its councillors to end power-sharing with the Green Party in 11 councils over the Greens' 'Zionism is racism' motion, passed at their conference on 4 October. Labour chair Bridget Phillipson said it 'crosses a line'. Prime Minister Andy Burnham called the motion 'antisemitic'. The Greens said they would 'not take lectures' from a government that supplies weapons to Israel. Today the BBC reports a Green councillor joining Labour and Warwick's council leader facing a vote after Labour's decision, and The Jewish Chronicle reports a former Green leader admitting the motion damaged the party's electoral ambitions.
Our outlet list is not evenly split: about 50% left-rated, 15% centre and 35% right-rated, so raw splits lean left by construction. Blindspots are tested against each side's own share. About our sample.
Left 2 · Centre-left 5 · Centre 3 · Centre-right 3 · Right 4
ContextSources by leanVideoDeep diveFollow the moneyMore coverage
How each side framed it
Left-leaning outlets
'Labour Ends Power-Sharing With Green Councils' (Novara Media); 'Full list of councils where Labour is ending coalitions with the Greens' (Left Foot Forward); Zack Polanski says the Greens 'will not be bullied from speaking the truth' (Novara Media).
Centre outlets
Centre-rated outlets headline it: “Labour To Cease Cooperation With Greens On 11 Councils Over Zionism Motion” (PoliticsHome); “Labour to end power-sharing with Greens in 11 councils over Zionism row” (BBC News).
Right-leaning outlets
'Labour COLLAPSES deals with Greens in 11 councils' (The Sun); 'Labour scraps 11 coalition deals with Greens over anti-Semitism row' (The Telegraph); 'Zionism vote limits Green appeal, MP admits' (The Times).
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.
Background for this story.
- The Green Party of England and Wales is a separate party from the Scottish Greens. Green Party of England and Wales
Checked 2026-11-04. 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.
Left 3
- Daily Mirror
Labour pulls out of council power-sharing deals with Green Party over Zionism row - Haaretz
Labour, Greens end U.K. local councils alliances over 'Zionism is racism' motion - Left Foot Forward
Full list of councils where Labour is ending coalitions with the Greens over ‘Zionism is racism’ motion
Centre 3
- BBC News
Labour to end power-sharing with Greens in 11 councils over Zionism row - PoliticsHome
Labour To Cease Cooperation With Greens On 11 Councils Over Zionism Motion - Financial Times
Labour ends power-sharing deals with Greens over ‘Zionism is racism’ policy (paywalled or blocks bots)
Right 3
- Daily Express
Labour to ditch coalition with Greens in 11 councils over 'Zionism is racism' stance - GB News
Labour cuts ties with Greens in 11 local authorities over Zack Polanski’s 'Zionism is racism' policy - The Jewish Chronicle
Labour pulls out of 11 local coalitions with Greens over ‘Zionism is racism’ motion
Showing 3 from each side of 17 rated outlets (L 7 / C 3 / R 7). 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.
Left 0
No left-rated outlet video found for this story. We don't fill the gap with an unrelated video.
Right 0
No right-rated outlet video found for this story. We don't fill the gap with an unrelated video.
Showing 1 from each side that has one; none found from the left or right.
YouTube searches (live results, not checked or balanced by us): News videos · Explainers · Podcasts
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
Seen from the right
“Labour to ditch coalition with Greens in 11 councils over 'Zionism is racism' stance” Daily Express
What each side may be protecting: Labour: its stance against antisemitism. Greens: a position they say is about Palestinian rights.
What they agree on
Labour's NEC told its councillors to end power-sharing with the Green Party in 11 councils over the Greens' 'Zionism is racism' motion, passed at their conference on 4 October. Labour chair Bridget Phillipson said it 'crosses a line'. Prime Minister Andy Burnham called the motion 'antisemitic'. The Greens said they would 'not take lectures' from a government that supplies weapons to Israel. Today the BBC reports a Green councillor joining Labour and Warwick's council leader facing a vote after Labour's decision, and The Jewish Chronicle reports a former Green leader admitting the motion damaged the party's electoral ambitions. Both Labour and the Greens say they oppose antisemitism.
Where they truly differ
Labour says the motion is antisemitic; the Greens say it is about Palestinian rights and that Labour is trying to bully them. Jewish News reports a former Green leader questioning the party's direction.
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. Latest YouGov poll for The Times (published 3 November): Greens 10%, no change.
Open questions
- How do outlets describe the same events when the party involved is Labour versus the Greens?
- 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 (19 outlets)
| Outlet | Lean | Ownership & funding (MBFC) |
|---|---|---|
| Haaretz | Left | According to the Financial Times, Haaretz does not report its earnings. They were also the first Israeli paper to introduce the paywall. For subscription fees, please see here. source |
| 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 |
| ITV News | Centre-right | No ownership data found |
| 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 |
| Jewish News | Not rated | No ownership data found |
| LabourList | Not rated | No ownership data found |