Green Party Leader Urges UK to Sever Trade Ties with Israel Following Lebanon Strikes
Zack Polanski, the Green party leader, has issued a forceful demand for the British government to terminate its trade agreement with Israel in response to recent Israeli military strikes on Lebanon. Speaking at the launch of the Green party's local election campaign in London, Polanski accused Israel of acting in a "completely uncontrolled way" and called for the imposition of robust sanctions.
Call for Sanctions and Military Disentanglement
"What is it going to take for this government to actually put robust sanctions on Israel?" Polanski questioned. He described it as "outrageous" that Israel continues to receive diplomatic and trade privileges from the international community. The Green leader explicitly urged the government to withdraw the UK-Israel trade agreement and "end the genocide."
Polanski also challenged Prime Minister Keir Starmer to ban the United States from using UK airspace, arguing that the UK's involvement in the conflict with Iran is not "entirely truthful." He pointed out that UK bases have been utilized to aid US bombers attacking Iran, stating, "What we need to do is disentangle the UK military and the US military, ban the US from using our airspaces."
When questioned about the potential economic consequences of ending the trade deal with Israel, Polanski emphasized that the UK should not place "a cost on people's lives." He further criticized former US President Donald Trump as an "increasingly unpredictable and dangerous man," citing recent comments where Trump expressed willingness to "wipe out a civilisation" as vindication of his stance.
Housing Policy Clash with Labour
During the campaign launch, Polanski shifted focus to domestic issues, sharply criticizing Labour's approach to housing. He asserted that Green-run councils would prioritize the construction of new council houses and "stand up" to property developers who resist building affordable homes.
"We do have a housing crisis, but what we also have is an affordability crisis," Polanski explained. "And actually it's about making sure we build the right homes at the right price at the right place. And what we see far too often with Labour councils is that building of luxury, unaffordable buildings that no one's ever going to live in."
Labour responded by accusing Green party councillors of blocking approximately 42,000 homes across the country since 2018 and failing to deliver social rented housing in areas under their control. Housing Secretary Steve Reed countered, "There is nothing progressive about keeping London families in temporary accommodation. If you're not willing to build the homes Londoners need, you are choosing to keep them there."
Polanski dismissed the 42,000 figure as "an absolute nonsense," but added, "If a development is being blocked because it's an unaffordable luxury development, then I'm proud of any Green party council that does that."
Rent Control Proposals
The Green party's Hackney mayoral candidate, Zoë Garbett, announced plans to push London Mayor Sadiq Khan to implement rent controls. When asked how this could be achieved given that local authorities lack the power to impose such controls, Polanski defended the proposal as not "some radical, wild policy."
"What's wild is that we've spent over £70bn in the last five years on welfare, which has been money going straight from the government into the pockets of private landlords, as opposed to building social, social homes or council homes that could be rent-capped or rent-controlled straight away," Polanski argued.
The Green party's campaign launch highlighted a dual focus on international conflicts and domestic housing struggles, positioning the party as a challenger to both Conservative foreign policy and Labour's housing strategies ahead of the local elections.
