Responding to a Labour Party conference fringe event that concluded “Labour must ‘get over squeamishness’ about attacking Greens”, Green Party Co–Deputy Leader, Mothin Ali, said:

“My free advice to Labour is to stop attacking and start listening. Stop attacking communities that are made up of people living and working here, and who were born abroad. Stop obsessively trying to “attack” your political opponents.

“Instead, start listening. Listen to people who are struggling to survive on disability benefits before cutting them. Listen to parents struggling with the cost of living and the experts who say scrapping the two-child benefit cap is the most cost-effective way of addressing child poverty. And listen to all of us who have been calling out the unfolding genocide in Gaza for the last two years.

“Like many, Labour left me behind, and I found a new home in the Greens. I am now focusing all my energy on growing the Green movement. We have a record membership, a record number of Cllrs and MPs and are hitting record levels in the polls. This is what I’m focused on.”

Ahead of the Labour Party conference opening Zack Polanski, Leader of the Green Party, said:

“When I said we intend to replace Labour, I meant it. As another Labour conference comes round, it’s another emergency government reset. It just confirms what we already know: Labour has failed. By his own standards, Starmer has broken the promises he was elected on, ditched the principles he claimed to stand for, and his government has made inequality worse, ignored the climate crisis and contributed to arming a genocidal Israeli government.

And for all the talk, this conference isn’t a vision for the future. It’s a desperate attempt to rewrite the past. 

People are crying out for bold leadership, not cautious tinkering. This will probably be Starmer’s last conference. Labour’s future candidates aren’t offering any of the solutions we need. The Green Party is offering these solutions. A wealth tax on the super rich, investment in public services and action to protect our climate. We are ready to turn this country around by offering a bold, positive alternative to a crumbling Labour government.”

Responding to Keir Starmer’s speech at the Global Progress Action Summit in London, which argued Britain has been ‘squeamish’ about illegal immigration, Green Party Leader, Zack Polanski said, 

“Keir Starmer today said this country has been too ‘squeamish’ about talking about immigration. Let’s call that for what it is: bullshit. The truth is, politicians have talked about little else for decades and almost always in the most toxic, dehumanising way possible. These comments are lapped up and regurgitated on a near-daily basis as talking points without any real balance.

That phrase “stop the boats” is all we hear. Well, today I am saying “stop the bullshit”. 

It’s time to be honest. It’s what we deserve. Immigration is not the crisis. The NHS is not crumbling because of tiny numbers of desperate people clinging on to small boats. The crisis is a political class too cowardly to tackle the actual huge issues of poverty, housing, and low pay. Too eager to distract us by pointing the finger at people who come here to contribute to our communities and our economy.”

Responding to the news that Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has approved plans for a second runway at London Gatwick Airport, Green Party Leader, Zack Polanski, said:

“Signing off on a second runway at Gatwick is a disaster. It ignores basic climate science and risks undermining efforts to tackle the climate crisis. Labour keeps wheeling out the same nonsense about growth, but at what cost? What this really means is more pollution, more noise for local communities, and no real economic benefit. Expanding Gatwick is a tired, 20th-century answer to a 21st-century crisis. Labour’s obsession with ‘growth at all costs’ is driving us deeper into a climate breakdown and social inequality crisis.”