Stafford Borough Council to Run Without a Majority After Labour-Green Split

Stafford Borough Council in England will now be run as a minority administration after the local Labour group ended its partnership with the Green Party. The split happened because the Green Party passed a policy that calls Zionism a form of racism, which Labour strongly disagreed with. Without the Green Party's support, Labour and its remaining partners do not have enough seats to hold a majority on the council. This means making decisions and passing budgets could become much harder.

The trouble started last month when Green Party members voted to support a motion called 'Zionism is racism.' The motion described Zionism as an ideology that supports a Jewish state in historic Palestine. Israel has denied committing genocide in Gaza. The motion became official Green Party policy, but it divided senior figures in the party and was condemned by Jewish groups and other political parties.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham told members of Parliament that Labour would not work with the Greens because of what he called an 'antisemitic' policy. Labour's head office then sent a message to all Labour-Green councils across the country. It told them that local Green councillors had to publicly reject the new policy, or the partnership agreements would be ended. The Green group in Stafford refused to do that.

Stafford Borough Council had been run by a coalition — a partnership — between Labour, the Stafford Borough Independents, and the Greens since 2023. Labour wrote to the Greens on November 3 to tell them the power-sharing deal was over. However, Green group leader Doug Rouxel said his group only found out about the decision when it was announced publicly, not through a direct conversation.

Rouxel was frustrated by how things were handled. He said the situation raised a serious question about who was really in charge — the local councillors or Labour's head office in London. He also argued that it was unfair for a decision about a local council to be made by national party leaders. He said this went against Prime Minister Burnham's own goal of giving more power to local communities.

Without the five Green councillors, the remaining coalition holds just 19 seats on the council. That is two seats short of a majority, which means the group could struggle to pass policies and approve budgets. One immediate change is that Green cabinet member Tony Pearce, who was responsible for climate change and nature recovery, is expected to lose his position. Pearce said he had not been officially told yet, but he believed he would be removed.

Pearce called the collapse of the coalition 'a sad day for residents of Stafford.' He said residents were now entering 'a period of uncertainty because of government interference.' He also said he felt sorry for council officers because they no longer knew whether their policy recommendations would be acted on. Pearce added that the Green Party would now work as an opposition group and closely watch how the ruling group handles issues, especially climate change.

Labour group leader Aidan Godfrey said in a statement that his group would 'continue working hard every day to stand up for local residents.' He said Labour would 'always act in the best interests of our communities.' Even so, the council faces a difficult road ahead as it tries to govern without a clear majority.