Green Party conference opens in Brighton as Zack Polanski faces poll slide
The Green Party conference opens in Brighton, with leader Zack Polanski facing a poll slide since Andy Burnham became PM and internal debate over a motion on Zionism.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
The Green Party conference has opened in Brighton, with leader Zack Polanski due to give a speech to kick off the event. The gathering is being treated as a major test for Polanski and as a coming of age for the party.
This time last year, Polanski was riding high after just being elected leader. He was an untried and untested fresh face who was expected to take the party in a completely different direction. A year on, members and voters want to see more, and the party's poll position has become a central issue.
The Greens have slipped in the polls since Andy Burnham became Prime Minister. The party had enjoyed a surge under Keir Starmer's Labour leadership but has had to adapt to a slide under the so-called Burnham bounce. One conference voice said Burnham was putting on a green cloak in many policy pronouncements, while another said the party was trying to push Labour to the left. A local resident said their rent was £1,000 a month and that the Burnham bounce meant nothing to them because that was their reality.
Internal party tensions are also on show. The Greens use grassroots democracy, allowing members to submit and vote on motions which then become party policy. That process carries risk. One motion says 'Zionism is racism'. Critics say it is anti-Semitic and racist. Supporters reject that, saying the party is anti-racist and pro-Palestine and that the media has turned the debate into a make or break issue.
Polanski's supporters see the conference as a chance to reset the narrative of decline after months of Burnham dominating the political limelight. The party now has more than 200,000 members, so it is no longer just a small party of enthusiasts. The challenge for Polanski is whether he can use the conference to answer doubts about the Greens' recent success.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reported by all 3 channels | |||
| The Green Party conference is taking place in Brighton, where Zack Polanski gave an opening speech. | Reported by BBC One | Reported by BBC Two | |
| Reported by a few · 2 channels | |||
| A motion describing Zionism as racism is being debated, with critics calling it antisemitic and racist. | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | |
| Sky News reported the Green Party has been slipping in the polls since Andy Burnham became Prime Minister. | Not reported by BBC One | Reported by BBC Two | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Sky News framed the Brighton conference as a leadership test for Zack Polanski and a possible turning point for the Greens. It led with the party's poll slide since Andy Burnham became Prime Minister, then gave significant space to internal party tensions over grassroots motions, including a motion on Zionism. It also used member and voter voices to contrast national polling with cost of living concerns.
- “The Green Party Conference here in Brighton is being seen as a big test for Zack Polanski and a coming of age for the Green Party.”
- “Our party has been slipping in the polls since Andy Burnham became Prime Minister, so members will be hoping his conference will provide them with a much needed boost.”
- “I think what we're seeing from Andy Burnham is putting on a green cloak in a lot of the policy pronouncements.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.