Greens reject Polanski's request to postpone party conference over byelection
Green party leader Zack Polanski asked the party's ruling executive to delay its annual conference so effort could focus on the Holborn and St Pancras byelection, but the request was refused.
The Green party of England and Wales voted on Thursday against a request from leader Zack Polanski to postpone its annual conference in order to concentrate resources on the upcoming Holborn and St Pancras byelection.
Party officials describe the formal request as coming from staff concerned that holding a conference a week before such an important vote would spread resources too thin. However, the Guardian understands the party leader was actually the one who wanted the postponement to happen.
The roughly 25-member voting executive committee, which includes Polanski himself, rejected the proposal. The conference, due to open in Brighton on 2 October, is expected to be the party's largest ever gathering, with around 3,000 attendees. Cancelling at such short notice would have cost the party heavily, since the venue is already booked, and would likely have angered members who had already arranged time off work, travel and accommodation.
The byelection, where Polanski is contesting a seat long held by Labour and previously represented by Keir Starmer, takes place on 8 October — just four days after the conference wraps up. Parties typically use the final stretch of a byelection campaign for intensive canvassing, and having thousands of the Greens' most engaged members occupied elsewhere over that weekend complicates the effort considerably.
Some within the party suspect Polanski would have preferred to complete his byelection bid before conference delegates vote on a contentious motion concerning Zionism, which topped the ballot of proposed policy motions and is expected to be debated. If adopted, the motion would classify Zionism as a form of racism and call for a single Palestinian state, putting members who support Zionism at risk of disciplinary action. Several Greens worry that passing it could alienate Jewish supporters. Polanski, who is Jewish, has not stated a public position but is believed to back amendments that would soften the motion's language.
A party spokesperson said various options for allocating resources during the byelection fight had been considered, including postponing the conference, but that the party ultimately remained committed to both an ambitious campaign and holding its biggest conference yet.
