She also says that she is glad Zack Polanski<\/a> has now said he would have voted against the motion that was passed had he been there, and she urges the party to fix the flaws in it.<\/p>\n Berry does not say whether any particular individuals persuaded her not to campaign against the motion in public, or whether she is just referring to a general climate of opinion in the party.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n Lib Dem MP quits front bench ‘in bid to topple Ed Davey’<\/p>\n A senior Liberal Democrat MP has quit the party\u2019s front bench in what is reported to be an effort to topple leader Ed Davey.<\/p>\n The party confirmed that Charlie Maynard, the MP for Witney, had quit as a Treasury spokesman on Friday. The Financial Times reported that the resignation is intended to trigger Davey\u2019s removal.<\/p>\n Maynard is reported to have asked parliamentary colleagues to back a vote of no confidence in the leader.<\/p>\n Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper backed Davey, saying the \u201cvast majority\u201d of the party\u2019s MPs wanted him to remain as leader and were \u201cfurious at this distraction\u201d.<\/p>\n She said:<\/p>\n double quotation markWe Liberal Democrats are the last line of defence against a Reform UK government, and Ed is determined to lead a strong and united party into the next general election whenever it comes.<\/p>\n As Ed said at conference we are in the fight of our lives against the right who want to turn our country into their version of Trump\u2019s America.<\/p>\n Charlie Maynard MP. Photograph: Laurie NobleShare<\/a> Tax cuts for big banks have deprived the UK government of \u00a36bn in revenues, according to campaigners, who are calling on the chancellor, John Healey<\/a>, to increase taxes and force lenders to pay their \u201cfair share\u201d in the budget.<\/p>\n Calculations by the Trades Union Congress (TUC), which represents unions with more than 5.3 million members across England and Wales, shows that the public purse is billions of pounds worse off as a result of tax cuts introduced under the Tory chancellor Rishi Sunak<\/a> in 2023.<\/p>\n The then government agreed to slash the bank surcharge \u2013 an additional levy on lenders\u2019 profits \u2013 from 8% to 3% that year. The move was meant to offset a rise in corporation tax from 19% to 25%, after the industry argued higher taxes would put them at a competitive disadvantage<\/a> compared with other big financial centres such as New York.<\/p>\n However, the cuts came just as lenders started reaping handsome earnings, thanks to rising interest rates<\/a>. The UK\u2019s four largest lenders \u2013 HSBC, NatWest, Barclays, Lloyds Banking Group \u2013 have now generated \u00a3200bn in pre-tax profits over the past five years.<\/p>\n The TUC<\/a> says the 2023 cuts ultimately robbed the UK purse of tax revenues. Its analysis of HMRC corporate tax receipts shows the UK public lost out \u00a32.3bn in 2023-24, a further \u00a31.7bn in 2024-25, and \u00a32bn in 2025-26 \u2013 totalling \u00a36bn over three years.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Reform UK\u2019s Robert Jenrick<\/a> has said a pact with the Conservatives would be like \u201cbeing handcuffed to a zombie\u201d.<\/p>\n The party\u2019s Treasury spokesman insisted Reform is not interested in such an agreement, just a day after its leader Nigel Farage refused to rule it out.<\/p>\n Farage told the Press Association on Thursday a pact before the next election is \u201cextremely unlikely\u201d, but added:<\/p>\n double quotation markAfter an election, who\u2019s to say?<\/p>\n It came after Kemi Badenoch used her Conservative party conference speech on Wednesday to reject the idea of a deal, saying: \u201cTo those who say \u2018unite the right\u2019, we are not uniting with that.\u201d<\/p>\n Speaking to reporters on Friday, Jenrick said:<\/p>\n double quotation markThe Tories ruling out a deal with Reform is like me saying to Thomas Tuchel that I\u2019m ruling out being selected for the England squad versus Croatia.<\/p>\n I mean, doing a deal with the Tory party is like being handcuffed to a zombie. It\u2019s not something we\u2019re interested in, trust me.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Former Green co-leader Jonathan Bartley says party has acquired ‘a certain toxicity’ under Polanski’s leadership Many of the most senior figures in the Green party \u2013 its MPs, former leaders and peers \u2013 have expressed concerns about the party allowing the \u201cZionism is racism\u201d motion to pass, and Zack Polanski\u2019s role in what happened.<\/p>\n In an interview on the World at One, Jonathan Bartley, a former co-leader, joined this chorus. He said that allegations of antisemitism meant there was now \u201ca certain toxicity\u201d around the party, and he accused Polanski of a failure of leadership.<\/p>\n Bartley said that in some respects Polanski had done a \u201creally good job\u201d as leader. But the Zionism motion was not handled well, he said. He went on:<\/p>\n double quotation markAs Caroline Lucas said on Newsnight last night, it was a failure of leadership from Zack. [See 2.55am<\/a>.]<\/p>\n And there is a certain toxicity now around the Green party which clearly is gaining some traction.<\/p>\n We\u2019re losing a lot of older voters. The demographic has become younger and younger. I think we\u2019re polling now at levels we were at when I stepped down as leader in 2021, around 9%.<\/p>\n Bartley said Polanski was not to blame for this toxicity problem, which he said was caused by the huge influx of new members to the Greens. But he said that Polanski had not handled the conference debate well, and that he now needed to repair the damage.<\/p>\n double quotation markI think he needs to put his hands up where he\u2019s made a mistake. I think he needs to say I\u2019m sorry. I think the membership will be forgiving. I think, actually, the electorate will be forgiving. But the Green party brand \u2013 I don\u2019t like that word very much \u2013 needs to be detoxified \u2026<\/p>\n What\u2019s Zack\u2019s job now? Zack\u2019s job is to lead us out of that. Zack\u2019s job is to say we don\u2019t do purity tests, we have a different culture, we are about peacemaking and dealing with conflict well.<\/p>\n Bartley described Polanski as \u201cvery gifted in some respects, and less so in others\u201d.<\/p>\n He said he expected Polanski to face a leadership challenge next year \u2013 but that he was likely to win because of his popularity with members.<\/p>\n That is all from me for today. Tom Ambrose is taking over.<\/p>\n Jonathan Bartley. Photograph: Isabel Infantes\/PAShare<\/a>Green MP Si\u00e2n Berry says opponents of Zionism motion were ‘persuaded’ not to fight it publicly because of byelection<\/p>\n The Green MP Si\u00e2n Berry has said that many members who, like her, were opposed to the \u201cZionism is racism\u201d motion at conference were \u201cpersuaded\u201d not to publicly campaign against it because of the byelection happening at the same time. In a statement<\/a> today, she says she accepts that passing the motion has done \u201cgenuine damage\u201d to the party\u2019s reputation. Berry argued and voted against it, but she says she should have done more to kill it off and she apologises.<\/p>\n She also says that she is glad Zack Polanski<\/a> has now said he would have voted against the motion that was passed had he been there, and she urges the party to fix the flaws in it.<\/p>\n Berry does not say whether any particular individuals persuaded her not to campaign against the motion in public, or whether she is just referring to a general climate of opinion in the party.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n As Megan Kenyon from the New Statesman reports, Greens Organise, a Green party group that campaigned for Zack Polanski to become leader, has issued a statement <\/a>saying he deserves to stay on as leader.<\/p>\n Here is an extract.<\/p>\n double quotation markA year ago, Zack started us on this journey – we surged to over 220,000 members, won control of multiple Councils and beat Reform in Gorton & Denton. We shook Labour to its core and forced a Prime Minister to resign.<\/p>\n But not all growth and success is linear, there will be ups and downs; the real test for a political organisation is how we deal with failure.<\/p>\n We have re-shaped the British political landscape. The Green Party can still become the ecosocialist party we need. Zack is still the leader who can get us there.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Peter Walker and Alexandra Topping are talking about the Holborn and St Pancras byelection<\/a> in the latest edition of our Politics Weekly UK podcast.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Compass, the leftwing group campaigning for more pluralism in progressive politics, has issued a long statement<\/a> saying the Holborn and St Pancras byelection shows why Labour and the Green party should work together.<\/p>\n Here is an extract.<\/p>\n double quotation markLast night was both triumph and tragedy for the Green Party. A tragedy because they failed to win a seat that only six months ago they probably would have secured. But weirdly, unexpectedly and unintendedly it is also a triumph. For it is undoubtedly the Greens who have done as much as anyone to rid the country of Starmerism. By mounting a credible political and electoral threat to Labour\u2019s left, realised most spectacularly in the Gorton and Denton by-election and then in May\u2019s local elections, the Greens showed that progressives did have somewhere else to go. And that changed everything. Much to the displeasure of Labour\u2019s right, the party were forced to crown, without a contest, the only politician in the country who has a chance to meet both the twin threats of Reform and the Greens \u2013 Andy Burnham \u2026<\/p>\n If we are to rewire the state, bring in proportional representation, tackle the cost of living crisis and even begin to reverse 40 years of neoliberalism, we cannot afford to work against one another.<\/p>\n The Greens are unlikely to replace Labour. But Labour, short on money, short of a mandate and absent of pressure from the Greens, are unlikely to be as radical as the moment demands. We are in this together.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Jenrick claims Badenoch has turned Tories into party just for rich, with her ‘Belgravia bung’ costing average worker \u00a3265<\/p>\n At the Conservative party conference this week, Robert Jenrick, the party\u2019s former justice spokesperson and Kemi Badenoch\u2019s main rival in the leadership contest, was elevated to the status of the party\u2019s chief villain. That\u2019s because of his defection to Reform UK, or his role as a \u201cturncoat\u201d as it was put in the party\u2019s spoof Bayeaux Tapestry.<\/p>\n A scene from the Tories\u2019 spoof Bayeux Tapestry, showing Robert Jenrick being expelled from the party by Kemi Badenoch. This morning \u201cthe turncoat\u201d, who is now Reform UK\u2019s Treasury spokesperson, gave a speech. It was about the economic choices facing the country, and included criticism of Labour, but Jenrick sounded at his most passionate when he was laying into former colleagues.<\/p>\n Jenrick pointed out that the main policy announcements<\/a> at the Tory conference favoured the very rich. He explained:<\/p>\n double quotation markPeople earning a hundred and fifty grand a year will get free childcare.<\/p>\n People in \u00a32m houses will get a council tax cut.<\/p>\n And if the people who pass away in that mansion have \u00a31m more in the bank, they\u2019ll pay nothing whatsoever.<\/p>\n Kensington Kemi knows who her people are.<\/p>\n Millionaires, not Mansfield.<\/p>\n Jenrick said the main Tory announcement, exempting homes from inheritance tax, would \u201conly benefit one person in 245 in the east Midlands, one in 472 in the north-east [and] almost nobody outside of London<\/a> and the south-east\u201d.<\/p>\n He went on:<\/p>\n double quotation markI\u2019ll just come out and say it.<\/p>\n The party of Disraeli is dead.<\/p>\n He said \u201cThe Tory party, unless it is a national party, is nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n Well they\u2019re not even pretending to be a national party now.<\/p>\n What\u2019s left is nothing more than a metropolitan pressure group for the wealthiest.<\/p>\n They have simply given up on the millions of people that have the misfortune of having to work for a living \u2026.<\/p>\n And, who is paying for Badenoch\u2019s bung to Belgravia? Working families.<\/p>\n The Tories decided not to cut the jobs tax [Labour\u2019s rise in employer national insurance], crippling businesses and costing jobs.<\/p>\n She decided not to unfreeze the income tax threshold, which is punishing more and more working people.<\/p>\n She won\u2019t cut taxes on the self-employed. Or make life easier for tradesmen.<\/p>\n In real terms, under her plan, the average worker would pay \u00a3265 more than they did under Rachel Reeves.<\/p>\n And she\u2019s taking that 265 quid and giving it to her mates in their central London mansions.<\/p>\n Jenrick went on:<\/p>\n double quotation markI\u2019ve got to level with you. I have never been happier to be shot of that dying cult.<\/p>\n Because the Tory party has turned its back on everybody I am in politics for.<\/p>\n This wasn\u2019t just a surrender of the red wall. It was the Tories saying to everyone who has to work to get on in life: get stuffed.<\/p>\n Gone are Essex or Workington Man. Gone is Worcester Woman.<\/p>\n In their place, nepo-babies and a new plan to go after Lib Dem voters. Well, fine.<\/p>\n Robert Jenrick giving his speech today. Photograph: Tolga Akmen\/EPAShare<\/a>Leader of Jewish Greens says Polanski should resign<\/p>\n Vivien Lichtenstein, the leader of the Jewish Greens, has called for Zack Polanski to step down as pressure increases on the Green leader to acknowledge anger within the party over a new policy<\/a> which equates Zionism with racism and calls for the state of Israel to be abolished. Peter Walker has the story.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Here are some more responses to the Holborn and St Pancras byelection<\/a> result from journalists and commentators.<\/p>\n From<\/a> Patrick English from YouGov<\/p>\n double quotation markJust to temper the chat a little bit around what will yes definitely be a morning of disappointment for the Greens… This was not a seat we would *expect* them to win. It is not like other areas in London where they did so well in May (Hackey, Lewisham, Waltham Forest).<\/p>\n From <\/a>the politics professor Steven Fielding<\/p>\n double quotation markFor any governing party in modern times defending a seat midterm, this is a very good result. But it\u2019s not so good Burnham should even think about holding an early general election.<\/p>\n From<\/a> the New Statesman\u2019s Ben Walker<\/p>\n double quotation markGrns performed as Britain Predicts expects. But Lab outperform.<\/p>\n To what extent that is…<\/p>\n A greater willingness to tactically vote Lab to beat the Grns<\/p>\n And\/or<\/p>\n A reflection of the Labour bounce in London …<\/p>\n needs some research. Will change a few dynamics either way.<\/p>\n From<\/a> Adam Ramsay, a journalist and Green party member<\/p>\n double quotation markI remember, not so long ago, Greens got c. 4% in a by-election, and my reaction was \u201cwell, at least it wasn\u2019t totally humiliating\u201d. The fact that some people think 33% in a longstanding Labour seat in the middle of the Burnham bounce is bad shows how far the party has come.<\/p>\n From<\/a> the Economist\u2019s Owen Winter<\/p>\n double quotation markThere\u2019s a fine line between righteous anger over the war in Gaza and seeming obsessive\/extreme. Big difference speaking to voters in Holborn and St Pancras compared with Gorton and Denton was how many felt the Greens had moved into the second category<\/p>\n From<\/a> George Eaton from the Arguably Substack<\/p>\n double quotation markZack Polanski repeatedly declared that the Greens were \u201creplacing\u201d Labour and said he was \u201cincredibly confident\u201d of winning Holborn & St Pancras. Finishing 12.8 points behind cannot be spun as a \u201cgood\u201d result.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Sagal Abdi-Wali, the new Labour MP for Holborn and St Pancras, posing for a selfie with Lucy Powell, the deputy Labour leader, and Labour activists this morning. Photograph: Jordan Pettitt\/PAShare<\/a><\/p>\n Back to the byelection, and the politics professor Rob Ford has written an analysis of the results<\/a> for Sky News. Here is an excerpt.<\/p>\n double quotation markThis was a strong performance for Labour on several metrics. The decline in Labour\u2019s vote share, at just 3.7 points, was well below the average drop of 19.3 points across the four by-elections during Starmer\u2019s premiership, where Burnham was not on the ballot.<\/p>\n The drop here was indeed smaller than the average drop in Labour support found during Tony Blair\u2019s first term (11.1%).<\/p>\n The Labour to Green swing, at 13.1 points, was well below many of the swings the Greens achieved in the 2024 general election and this May\u2019s local elections, and a pale shadow of the 26.5-point swing the party achieved in Gorton and Denton in February.<\/p>\n How swing from Labour to Greens in Holborn and St Pancras compares with swings to Greens in other notable Labour\/Green contests Photograph: Sky NewsShare<\/a>Burnham unveils \u00a348m partnership in bid to ‘defeat’ dementia<\/p>\n Andy Burnham has pledged to make dementia research a national priority as he announced a \u00a348m industry partnership to accelerate the search for a cure, the Press Association reports. PA says:<\/p>\n double quotation markThe prime minister, whose father Roy died last month after suffering from Alzheimer\u2019s, said he wanted Britain \u201cto be the country that makes the breakthrough\u201d.<\/p>\n The government will invest \u00a333m, and there is also funding from Bristol Myers Squibb, GSK and Gates Ventures to help recruit more people for clinical studies.<\/p>\n The investment will support The Barbara Alliance, which was launched in memory of the late EastEnders actress Dame Barbara Windsor to speed up the development of dementia treatments.<\/p>\n It will establish a platform connecting health data, research and clinical trial capabilities to make it easier to find participants for trials.<\/p>\n Burnham said:<\/p>\n double quotation markDementia is a devastatingly cruel disease, not only for those who live with it, but for the families who care for them.<\/p>\n For too long, we have accepted dementia as something to be managed later in life, rather than a disease we can defeat.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t accept that.<\/p>\n In fact, I have real hope that we can come together and do exactly that.<\/p>\n Downing Street has published further details here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Caroline Lucas says Green party urgently needs to revise its policy-making rules because it’s ‘woefully exposed’ to entryism<\/p>\n Caroline Lucas, the former Green leader, has said that Sunday\u2019s vote for the \u201cZionism is racism\u201d motion has shown how the party is \u201cwoefully exposed\u201d to entryism.<\/p>\n In an article for the New Statesman<\/a>, she said passing the motion crossed \u201ca very significant red line\u201d and she said the party urgently needed to reform its internal procedures to stop this happening again.<\/p>\n She explained:<\/p>\n double quotation markIt\u2019s worth recalling that this motion was supported by 1,022 self-selected members \u2013 just 0.5% of the party\u2019s total membership \u2013 an unknown number of whom were actively encouraged to join the Green party simply to vote to push the motion through. This speaks volumes about the vulnerability of our internal structures. Entryism has been a problem for many parties, but with our commitment to direct democracy and our cumbersome internal accountability mechanisms, the Greens are woefully exposed.<\/p>\n In the weeks and months to come, we Greens have urgent work to do: taking action to show everyone in our communities, especially Jewish people, that our party is safe for them; finding ways of making our party\u2019s policy making processes more inclusive and effective, our internal structures more accountable and resilient, and our understanding of both antisemitism and Zionism more informed.<\/p>\n Setting out what she saw as the flaw in the motion, Lucas said:<\/p>\n double quotation markOne of the most dangerous outcomes of rising populism and polarisation is a refusal to accept complexities, to deal only in zero-sum binaries. And so the radical over-simplification at the heart of the \u201cZionism is racism\u201d motion has led to many Jewish people, both inside and outside the party, feeling scared and unwelcome. For many of them, the knowledge about why their ancestors or families fled Europe and sought sanctuary in Palestine can, and often does, simultaneously sit alongside their utter abhorrence at the actions and ideology of the state of Israel now. But asking all Jewish people to deny the historical realities that might explain their own families\u2019 attachment to Israel as a sanctuary is not an ask our movement should or needs to make.<\/p>\n Caroline Lucas at the Green party conference last week. Photograph: Andy Rain\/EPAShare<\/a><\/p>\n In his speech in Manchester, Andy Burnham congratulated Sagal Abdi-Wali on her victory in the byelection.<\/p>\n He said:<\/p>\n double quotation markWe\u2019re here in Manchester. But actually, it\u2019s good news from London that it\u2019s lifting us. And I just wanted to say congratulations to Sagal Abdi-Wali, the new member of parliament for Holborn and St Pancras \u2013 and, relevant to this morning, the constituency that is the capital of innovation in the UK, home to the Crick Institute, the Alan Turing Institute and so much more.<\/p>\n Andy Burnham speaking at the Innovation Nation Summit at Bruntwood SciTech in Manchester this morning. Photograph: Christopher Furlong\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n These are from<\/a> the More in Common pollster Luke Tryl on the Holborn and St Pancras byelection result.<\/p>\n double quotation mark3000+ majority for Labour, comfortable and a sign of Burnham\u2019s gains on the left. Labour vote barely drops. Green vote significantly up from 2024, but less impressive if you assume lots of Feinstein 2024 voters went to the Greens. Bad result for the Greens but not at worst end<\/p>\n double quotation markWider context to the Holborn result: this chart shows the proportion of Labour\u2019s 2024 vote going to different parties. Post Gorton over 1 in 10 Labour 24 voters were going to the Greens – that number has more than halved as Labour\u2019s retention improved, particularly on the left.<\/p>\n % of Labour 2024 voters defecting to supporting other parties Photograph: More in Common<\/p>\n Tryl also points out that it was a record bad result for George Galloway, who in the past has pulled off two remarkable byelection victories.<\/p>\n double quotation markObviously not helped by the fact he is in self imposed exile<\/a>. But Holborn was George Galloway\u2019s worst ever result in a Westminster election.<\/p>\n George Galloway’s parliamentary elections results Photograph: More in CommonShare<\/a><\/p>\n Here is Guardian video of Zack Polanski responding to the byelection result.<\/p>\n![\"Kalyeena](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Kalyeena_Makortoff,_L.png\")
Kalyeena Makortoff<\/p>\n![\"Andrew](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Andrew_Sparrow,_R.png\")
Andrew Sparrow<\/p>\n
Photograph: Christopher Thomond\/The Guardian<\/p>\n
![\"'We](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1791557772_289_5500.jpg\")
‘We didn’t get it over the line’: Green party’s Zack Polanski on byelection loss \u2013\u00a0video