The Green Party has reportedly launched a crackdown on members who tell "unwoke" jokes and has urged them to snitch on banter. Diversity training is said to show the party discourages jokes even if the member being mocked is "absolutely fine" with being the butt of the joke.
Activists told to record uncomfortable jokes
A party official is reported to have told activists that if they hear a joke they aren't comfortable with, they should record it, including dates, times and locations, according to the Mail on Sunday, which has seen the training the publication said was delivered this summer.
An example reportedly included in the training describes a scenario in which members make jokes about a Polish person in the room, reports the Mail on Sunday. The training noted that even if the Polish person started the joke or everyone present was fine with it, the party wants to be a "safe space" and the situation would actually create an environment where derogatory jokes are allowed.
Training urges intervention
Trainees were told the "key thing" is not to do nothing, suggesting they interrupt, change the subject or create a diversion.
The Green Party defended the training in the face of criticism from political opponents. Labour MP David Taylor said the leaked training was "more akin to Stasi East Germany" than to 2026.
Political backlash and party response
Conservative Party Chairman Kevin Hollinrake accused the Greens of having time to police their members but were unable to tackle anti-semitism within their ranks. The Greens have strenuously denied claims of being anti-semitic, with the party's leader Zack Polanski, who is Jewish, condemning anti-Jewish racism.
During this year's local elections, a number of Green candidates were accused of posting anti-semitic material online. The party launched an internal investigation and withdrew support from the candidates involved.
Lord Young, General Secretary of the Free Speech Union, said the training provided a "terrifying glimpse" of how the UK would look if the Greens ever got into government.
A Green Party spokesperson said: "The activities in this workshop are standard equality, diversity and inclusion activities designed to spark discussion about creating safe and welcoming spaces within our party." The party maintained it is standard content in training that has been delivered to public and private sector organisations for about 20 years which was adapted for the Green Party.
