Labour has pulled out of power-sharing agreements with the Green Party in 11 councils. The trigger was a motion, passed by Green members at their October conference, declaring that “Zionism is racism”. Labour’s head office gave local Green groups a deadline to disown it. Labour says it had agreements in 18 authorities and 11 failed its test. Six survive.
Nearly 1.9 million people live in the areas where the deals have ended. The BBC reports that the collapse could slow budget and policy votes there.
The deals that ended stretch from Sheffield to West Devon, but they cluster in the south. Sussex alone accounts for five of the 17 named agreements: Labour has left Arun, Lewes and Wealden, and stays in Rother and West Sussex. Labour counts Runnymede among the 11, though it says co-operation there had already stopped.