Housing Secretary Steve Reed has accused the Green Party of welcoming activists expelled from Labour for anti-Semitic views, warning voters to be “very careful” ahead of the May elections. In a double-pronged attack, Reed also criticised Reform UK leader Nigel Farage for neglecting his Clacton constituency.
Speaking to the Guardian, Reed claimed the Greens had failed to properly vet council candidates, allowing in hard-left former Labour members with anti-Semitic views. “Some of the worst antisemites that we kicked out of the Labour party not only joined the Green party, but are now standing for the Green party,” he said.
A Green spokesperson dismissed the comments as “smears”. The party has seen a near-quadrupling in membership since Zack Polanski became leader seven months ago, with some new members being leftwing activists from Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour.
Reed also targeted Nigel Farage, noting he had not attended any of over 10 meetings of a local board overseeing a £20m government grant in Clacton. “We have seen him in Washington once, in Congress, begging like a dog for the US government to put sanctions on British workers, but he doesn’t show up in Clacton,” Reed said.
Labour is forecast to lose ground to both the Greens and Reform UK in the upcoming elections for English councils and devolved parliaments. Reed insisted it was not inevitable that Labour would perform badly, but urged voters to scrutinise candidates carefully.
