Sheffield Labour ends local power sharing arrangement with Greens

In a statement released on Monday, Cllr Belbin announced that Labour would put forward a minority administration at Wednesday’s full council meeting.

“Our trust in Sheffield Greens is completely broken,” Belbin said. “Their refusal to stand up for Jewish citizens with whom some of their councillors disagree, the public interviews with Cllrs Dimond and Raouf, and their ongoing misrepresentation of Sheffield Labour’s views and stated positions have all contributed to that breakdown of trust.”

The collapse follows an ultimatum issued by Labour chair Bridget Phillipson on 15 October, which warned that joint administrations would not continue unless Green councillors publicly rejected the national policy. Prime Minister Andy Burnham backed the move.

Sheffield’s Labour leader had previously condemned the conference motion as “shameful and antisemitic.” However, Councillor Angela Argenzio, leader of the local Green group, hit back at the decision, stating: “If Labour chooses to destabilise Sheffield City Council over this, Labour owns the consequences.”

Sheffield has been governed by the joint Labour-Green administration since the local elections in May. Reflecting on the breakdown, Cllr Belbin explained that local leadership had exhausted all options.

“Since the Greens passed the ‘Zionism is Racism’ motion at their conference at the start of October, Sheffield Labour has been trying to find a way to address the concerns of many of our citizens about the motion and to enable us to continue to work together,” Belbin stated. “However, we now feel we are at the end of the road with the joint administration, and the people of Sheffield deserve to know why.”

Belbin emphasised that the national Green Party policy has direct local consequences, creating real anxiety among Sheffield residents.

“Many of our Jewish citizens, who attend synagogues and other Jewish community venues, are deeply fearful of the consequences of demonising all Zionists,” she said. “The Green Party has defined Zionism as support for the current Israeli government, but Zionism actually takes many forms—including secular, socialist, and anti-racist—and the majority of our Jewish population are vehemently opposed to Israel’s actions in Gaza.”

She warned that local communities are feeling the strain of broader geopolitical conflicts, noting a rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia.

“Our Jewish citizens have good reason to be fearful,” Belbin added. “I am sure most Green Party supporters recognise that the horrific attack on Heaton Park Synagogue and the arson attack on ambulances in Golders Green were antisemitic, even if they may have been motivated by anti-Zionism. The rejection of an amendment to the ‘Zionism is Racism’ motion that would have protected members who attend Jewish places of worship shows that the line between antisemitism and anti-Zionism feels meaningless in practice when Jewish communities are under threat.”

Sheffield councillor Mark Rusling voiced strong support for ending the coalition, arguing that local Green politicians failed to address core community concerns.

“At no point have the Sheffield Green Party addressed our concerns—ensuring the safety of the Sheffield Jewish community, understanding that their approach fails to recognise the real racists, and supporting self-determination,” Rusling said. “In this, they have adopted a position that is way outside the mainstream, even of their own Green Party.”

Rusling clarified that the decision was a matter of protecting domestic community cohesion rather than a defence of foreign leaders.

“This isn’t about the current Israeli government—I agree that they are appalling and I hope that they are removed,” Rusling concluded. “This is not about our views on Netanyahu or the Israeli government. It is about our support for British communities, and for the self-determination of all peoples in the Middle East.”