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Ex-first minister Mark Drakeford suggests Wales Office should go

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Polanski vows to stay as Green leader as he faces criticism after by-election defeat
Jewish Greens' leader has said Polanski should resign in the wake of a Zionism row and by-election defeat.

Green MP Siân Berry says opponents of Zionism motion were ‘persuaded’ not to fight it because of byelection – UK politics live
The MP says that passing the motion has done ‘genuine damage; to the party’s reputation Report: Labour wins Holborn and St Pancras byelection Analysis: defeat will disappoint Greens – but there may also be relief Activists in Camden have suggested the Greens’ decision to back the anti-Zionism motion has cost them votes in the byelection. Councillors for both Labour the Liberal Democrats told the Press Association that voters had informed them they would not be backing the Green party after it passed the motion last weekend calling Zionism racism. It is clear now we will come a close second in this by-election. Taking the fight to Labour in one of its safest seats shows just how far the Greens have come. Voters want us to keep Labour’s feet to the fire on affordable housing, public ownership of water and the climate crisis. Greens will be there every single day, holding Labour to account

Robert Jenrick launches scathing broadside against ‘Kensington Kemi’
Reform UK shadow chancellor seeks to associate Tory leader with metropolitan elite as party relations sour further UK politics live – latest updates Robert Jenrick has launched an extended attack on Kemi Badenoch for being part of a metropolitan elite, saying a coalition deal with the Tories would be like being “handcuffed to a zombie”. The Reform UK shadow chancellor repeatedly called the Tory leader “Kensington Kemi” and claimed her party was for people who moan about the decline of Mayfair clubs and complain that they cannot find Ottolenghi recipe ingredients in the shops. Continue reading...

Leader of Jewish Greens calls for Zack Polanski to resign after byelection loss
Vivien Lichtenstein urges party leader to quit over ‘Zionism is racism’ policy – but could face no-confidence motion herself UK politics live – latest updates 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 that equates Zionism with racism and calls for the state of Israel to be abolished. The comments by Vivien Lichtenstein come after Caroline Lucas, the Greens’ former leader and first MP, criticised Polanski for a lack of leadership in missing the debate and vote at the weekend that resulted in the policy being passed. Continue reading...

Did the Zionism row lose it for Zack Polanski? – podcast
Zack Polanski has lost the Holborn and St Pancras byelection to Labour’s Sagal Abdi-Wali. Despite the Greens increasing their vote share from 2024, Polanski had the cloud of the ‘Zionism is racism’ row hanging over his head. Now there are questions over his leadership and whether he can steer the party through the ongoing Zionism row. Will the Greens remain a fringe party? You can watch this episode on the Politics Weekly YouTube channel here . Continue reading...

Digested week: Don’t worry about the plague, go and read some Anne Carson
The world may be going to hell in a handcart, but at least now I get to say I know a Nobel prize winner “Anyone worried about pneumonic plague?” This is a friend – a medic – texting me after reading reports at the weekend of the 28-year-old Russian woman who died while working at a “plague research lab” in Siberia . Relying on details from the famously open Russian state guaranteed the presence of a certain dark subtext to the tantalisingly short news item. Namely: lab-grown disease cultivated for reasons unknown and with a 100% mortality rate escapes Russian facility into general population, eight hours’ flying time from London. In other words, we’re all going to die. Continue reading...