Green Party at 'crossroads', says former co-leader Ramsay after Zionism motion

The Green Party is at a "crossroads" and needs to refocus on its "core values", former co-leader Adrian Ramsay has told the BBC, weeks after members adopted a motion declaring Zionism a form of racism. Ramsay, the MP for Waveney Valley, said the party's policies needed to appeal to a majority of British voters if it wants to deliver the "environmental changes that we need", and warned against an approach that risks being "quite divisive". He argued that one option for the party would be to "dig in more down this approach", which he said brought with it a "quite internally focused approach to politics". He suggested such an approach is "perhaps seen from small groups of people on the hard left of politics who go around different parties try to influence how those parties are run". Instead, he said he wanted the party to be "consensus-building" and "very externally focused", engaging the grassroots of its membership. The motion, adopted by members of the Green Party of England and Wales last month, defined Zionism as an ideology supporting "an ethnonationalist Jewish state" that had led to the "disenfranchisement and destruction" of Palestinians. It also backed the creation of a "single democratic Palestinian state in all of historic Palestine", which includes modern-day Israel. Leader Zack Polanski did not take part in or vote on the motion, having been absent from the conference while unsuccessfully campaigning in a Westminster by-election. He has since said he wants to see the "imperfect" motion amended in future, but argued the "substantial part of the motion" was "obvious", saying "the displacement and genocide of the Palestinian people is clearly underpinned by a racist ideology". Israel has repeatedly denied its actions in Gaza amount to genocide. Responding to Ramsay's comments, Polanski said there was "no environmental justice without social, racial and economic justice". The motion prompted a backlash from some Jewish groups and criticism from senior Green figures, including Ramsay and other Green MPs. Israel's foreign ministry said it had banned Polanski, who is Jewish, from entering the country. The Equality and Human Rights Commission wrote to the party asking for more information about the motion after concerns were raised by dozens of Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs and Jewish campaigners. Labour later said it would end power-sharing agreements with the Greens on local councils unless its councillors disowned the policy. Speaking to BBC Newscast, Ramsay replied "no, it's not" when asked whether he thought Zionism is racist, while adding that he agreed with Polanski and others that what is happening in Gaza is "appalling". He said he believes Israel has a right to exist, something Polanski has stopped short of saying, and described himself as "deeply uncomfortable" with the motion. Ramsay suggested there is an "opportunity to take some action in relation to the motion in the run-up" to the party's spring conference next year, saying the question now is how Polanski and the party as a whole responds. He said: "I think there's a real crossroads point for the party at the moment. What I want to see is the party really focus back in on our core aims as a party and our core values." Ramsay served as co-leader of the Greens from 2021 to 2025 alongside Carla Denyer, who is now also an MP. He unsuccessfully stood on a joint ticket with fellow MP Ellie Chowns in 2025, losing the leadership contest to Polanski. Under Green Party rules, motions supported by members become official party policy but will not necessarily be included in the party's manifesto at the next general election.