Greens executive rejects Polanski bid to delay annual conference
The decision to proceed with the Brighton gathering avoids significant cancellation costs but complicates the final weekend of the Holborn and St Pancras campaign.
The executive committee of the Greens in England and Wales has voted to reject a request to postpone the party’s annual conference, a decision that prioritises institutional continuity over immediate electoral strategy. The committee, which comprises approximately 25 voting members, voted against the plan on Thursday, allowing the event to proceed as scheduled in Brighton from 2 October.
The postponement was originally sought to concentrate party resources on the Holborn and St Pancras byelection, which takes place on 8 October. While party officials stated that the formal request originated from staffers concerned about diluting campaign resources, the party leader, Zack Polanski, is understood to have personally favoured the delay. The seat is a traditionally safe Labour constituency previously held by Keir Starmer.
By maintaining the conference timeline, the party avoids significant financial penalties associated with cancelling a venue rental at short notice. The decision also spares thousands of active members from the logistical disruption of having booked travel and accommodation for an event that would have been cancelled. The gathering is expected to attract around 3,000 attendees, marking the largest assembly in the party’s history.
However, the schedule creates a strategic complication for the byelection campaign. The final weekend before a vote is traditionally reserved for intensive canvassing, a process complicated by the absence of the party’s most active members. With the conference concluding just four days before the poll, the Greens must now manage a dual operational focus in the lead-up to the election.
The conference will also serve as the venue for a contentious policy motion on Zionism, which topped a members’ vote of policy motions. If passed, the motion would equate Zionism with racism and call for a single Palestinian state, potentially subjecting members who support Zionism to disciplinary action.
Polanski, who is Jewish, has not publicly stated his position on the motion but is understood to support a pair of amendments intended to tone down the language. A Green party spokesperson confirmed that the party remains committed to both the byelection campaign and the conference, describing the gathering as an "incredibly ambitious" undertaking.
