Newquay Town Mayor and Cornwall Councillor for Newquay Trenance, Drew Creek has left the Green Party after its national conference passed the now-infamous “Zionism is Racism” motion. Mostly a foreign-policy motion, it committed the Green Party to a one-state solution in historic Palestine, and made the party the first in the UK-mainstream to hold a firmly anti-Zionist stance.

Soon after its passing, Cllr Drew Creek, who has led the Green group on Cornwall Council since May 2025, distanced himself from the motion, claiming it set a “dangerous precedent”. In a striking move, Creek has left the Green Party and joined the Labour Party, announcing his defection to the press and on social media on Thursday.

Seeking to understand the reasons behind his departure from the Greens, and his decision to join Labour in particular, Cobblestone Media contacted Cllr Creek with a series of questions.

What specifically about the national Green Party’s “Zionism is racism” motion did you find objectionable?

“I voted against the motion at conference, and within days the Green group on Cornwall Council put out a statement distancing ourselves from it. My objections haven’t changed since then.

“First, the title and the core claim. Zionism doesn’t have one meaning. For many Jewish people it’s tied up with their faith, their family history and a long history of persecution, and they hold a wide range of views about the Israeli state and its government. Labelling all of that as racism is a gross oversimplification, and it sends a message to Jewish members, supporters and residents that they aren’t welcome. I was particularly disappointed that conference rejected an amendment intended to protect Jewish members from complaints simply for belonging to their synagogue.

“Second, the motion commits the Green party to a single Palestinian state across all of historic Palestine. I don’t believe that is a realistic or peaceful route to justice for anyone in the region, and I don’t think it will help Palestinians.

“I want to be clear that none of this changes my position on Gaza. I have always stood with the Palestinian people. I’ll keep calling for a permanent ceasefire, humanitarian access and accountability under international law. I just don’t believe this motion advances that cause. I fear it sets it back.”

The motion has caused immense uproar in mainstream press, and has led to denouncements across various elected bodies, and by representatives. The text of the motion itself affirms the inalienable rights of Palestinians to self-determination, describes Israel as an apartheid state, describes the mass-killing of Palestinians in Gaza as a genocide, and calls for the right of return.

It also called for the release of Palestinian prisoners of conscience within Israel and the occupied West Bank, as well as the deproscription of Palestine Action in the UK. The semantics of the text have largely been absent from mainstream coverage of this motion, however.

The motion also has precedent in international bodies, such as the 1975 UN General Assembly Resolution 3379. Passed after the Yom-Kippur – Ramadan War, the UN’s declaration that “Zionism is a form of racism and racial discrimination” was similarly condemned as antisemitic by Israel and its international allies. It was later revoked in the early 1990s.

Given the “Zionism is racism” motion was largely a foreign policy issue, would you not have been able to continue your work as a local councillor and Mayor, focussing on matters of domestic and local policy?

“I tried. I spent several weeks hoping the party would step back from the motion, or at least soften it. Instead, the leadership has doubled down.

“The reality of local politics is that you carry the party name with you. When I was knocking on doors or helping residents as a Green Councillor, since the motion, I’ve repeatedly faced accusations of antisemitism simply because of that label. I can’t in good conscience keep representing a party whose position on something this serious I fundamentally disagree with. I’d rather be honest with residents about that than pretend it doesn’t matter.

“My work for Trenance and Newquay carries on exactly as before. As Mayor, my role is non-partisan, and that doesn’t change at all.”

Do you feel that this defection will make cooperation with Green colleagues on Newquay town council (of which there is a notable number) potentially more difficult?

“I hope not, and I’ll do everything I can to make sure it doesn’t. I have a lot of respect for my Green colleagues on both councils, and many of them are friends. That doesn’t change because I’ve changed party. Newquay Town Council works best when we put the town first rather than party labels, and as Mayor I represent everyone. I’ve never been interested in divisive, culture-war politics, and I’ll keep working with anyone who wants to do the right thing for Newquay.”

Why Labour, rather than independent, Mebyon Kernow or the Liberal Democrats?

“I thought about all the options. I respect colleagues in MK and the Liberal Democrats, and many independents do excellent work. But for me, the Labour Party is the closest fit with the values that brought me into politics: social justice, strong public services, tackling the cost of living and protecting our environment.

“I also want to be part of a team that can deliver. Labour is in government nationally, and through my day job in community pharmacy I see every day how much decisions on the NHS, health and public services matter to people in Cornwall. Being part of the Labour Party gives me a better chance to influence those decisions on behalf of Newquay than sitting alone as an independent.

“Ultimately, I didn’t leave the Green Party lightly. In passing this motion, I feel the party left me.”

In a statement, Cornwall Greens expressed their sadness at Creek’s defection:

“When people vote for Greens, they’re voting for a party that has a strong set of principles. A party that knows the climate and ecological emergency is a truly existential crisis that demands urgent action. A party that believes in taxing extreme wealth and tackling the poverty and inequality that blights so many lives. A party, in short, that is very different from the Labour Party.

“Drew had done excellent work as a Green councillor. In July, his speech in support of the Cornwall Council motion to take South West Water back into public ownership helped bring the whole of Cornwall Council behind this landmark call.”

“We understand that there are different views within the Green Party on the ‘Zionism is Racism’ motion. As a party, we have always accommodated a range of differing views, and we do not try to impose uniformity of belief among our members or our elected representatives.

Drawing direct comparisons between Labour and Green Party policies, a spokesperson went on:

“Disagreements over the wording of this one motion should not distract from the fact that the Green Party is united in its condemnation of the racist genocide and ethnic cleansing that Israel is perpetrating in Gaza and the occupied territories, and united in its demand for much tougher sanctions on Israel.

“Labour, by contrast, refuses even to recognise that what we are seeing is genocide, and continues to allow arms exports to and intelligence-sharing with the government that is committing it.

“Everyone who shares our vision of creating fairer, greener communities is welcome in the Green Party. We are saddened that Drew has decided to throw in his lot with a party that does not share that vision.”

Since the election of Zack Polanski as leader, Green party motions have been rhetorically provocative and radical in scope, notably the “Abolish Landlords” motion at the 2025 conference. Some activists within both the local and national Green Party have attempted to shift the framing of political debate through this tactic. Others have claimed it weakens the electoral abilities of the Green Party both in the Commons and at council level.

Image via: Newquay Town Council.