‘They are not the victims!’ Lib Dem deputy blasted after she bemoans her councillors having to work with the Green Party in local government – but refuses to pull out of power-sharing deals amid antisemitism row

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper condemned the Green Party’s “Zionism is Racism” motion but said the party would not end its local council power-sharing deals with the Greens. Her comments drew criticism from Conservatives and anti-antisemitism campaigners, who said Lib Dem councillors should not be portrayed as victims and should withdraw from the arrangements if they oppose the motion.

Cooper said the motion wrongly links British Jews with a foreign government and breaks with support for a two-state solution, adding that Greens must resolve the dispute. The Lib Dems have 22 council partnerships with the Green Party, sometimes alongside Labour; Labour has threatened to end its own deals unless local Green branches disavow the party’s position by Thursday. Green leader Zack Polanski has said he would seek to amend the motion by 2028.