Labour’s threat to end power-sharing agreements with the Green Party over its divisive “Zionism is Racism” motion could trigger political turmoil in councils across the country.

Labour said yesterday that local Green Party branches have seven days to reject the motion, which was passed at the Greens’ conference in Brighton earlier this month.

The policy calls for Israel to be treated in the same way as apartheid-era South Africa. Critics have described it as a plan aimed at destroying Israel itself.

The announcement followed Andy Burnham’s decision to rule out national coalition talks with the Greens over what he called their “antisemitic” new position. Labour’s chairman said the same principle would apply to local government arrangements.

Bridget Phillipson said: “Where local Labour Parties currently have an arrangement with the Greens in local government, we expect their Green counterparts to make clear that they reject this position and to call on their national leadership to reconsider the policy.

“We have asked local Green groups to respond as a matter of urgency. Where they are unable to provide that assurance, Labour will bring any such local arrangement to an end.

“This isn’t an issue of party politics; it’s about doing what is right and upholding the values anyone holding public office should share.”

Labour’s firm response was welcomed by Labour Against Antisemitism, which told the Daily Mail it was “relieved to see the Prime Minister listening to our concerns after we wrote to him”.

However, Labour’s tougher stance could create widespread disruption in councils across Britain, with more than a dozen currently operating under Labour-Green pacts.

Mail analysis suggests that, if Labour withdraws from every council where it has an agreement of some kind with the Greens, nine of the 14 authorities could see their existing administrations come under serious pressure. In some cases, governing arrangements could collapse; in others, they could become almost impossible to operate.

Eleven of the 14 councils would lose their current majorities, potentially giving the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats or Reform an opportunity to take power.

Notably, many of the councils currently governed through Labour-Green agreements are located in some of the country’s leafiest and most affluent areas.

Here is a look at whether your council could face political upheaval next week if its local Green Party branch refuses to reject the party’s new policy on Israel.

Sheffield

Current situation: Labour leads the council with support from the Greens. The Labour-Green coalition holds a majority of 45 of the 84 seats.

If Labour ends its agreement with the Greens, the governing majority would disappear, leaving Labour well short of the 43 seats needed for control.

Labour could try to remain in office as a minority administration, but it would need backing from other parties to pass measures and govern effectively.

Lewes

Current situation: Labour props up Green-led council. Green/Labour majority coalition (26/41 seats)

Seats: Green (18), Liberal Democrat (14), Labour (8), Independent (1)

If Labour withdraws its agreement with the Greens, the coalition loses its majority and effectively ends in its present form.

Greens have 18 seats and Labour 8.

Without Labour, the Greens would be well short of the 21-seat majority threshold and would need a new arrangement.

Greens would probably seek a new agreement involving some combination of the 14 Lib Dems and/or the single independent.

Warwick

Current situation: Labour props up Green-led council. Green/Labour minority coalition (22/45 seats)

Seats: Green (15), Liberal Democrat (9), Independent (8), Labour (7), Conservative (5)

If Labour withdraws its agreement with the Greens, the existing Green/Labour administration effectively breaks apart.

The coalition is already one seat short of an outright majority. Removing Labour’s seven councillors leaves the Greens with only 15 of 45 seats.

The Greens would need a replacement arrangement or would have to attempt to govern as a much smaller minority, potentially seeking support from the Lib Dems and/or independents.

Forest of Dean

Current situation: Labour props up Green-led council through a confidence and supply arrangement. Green minority administration (15/38 seats)

Seats: Green (15), Independent (11), Conservative (6), Labour (4), Reform (1), Liberal Democrat (1)

If Labour withdraws its confidence and supply agreement, the Green administration loses its guaranteed Labour support on key votes.

The Greens would remain the largest governing group with 15 seats but would be far short of the 21 required for a majority.

The administration would not automatically fall, but its ability to survive key votes and pass its programme would become much less secure, requiring support or abstentions from other groups.

West Sussex

Current situation: Labour is part of a Liberal Democrat/Green/Labour/Independent majority ‘rainbow’ coalition (36/70 seats)

Seats: Liberal Democrat (23), Reform (23), Conservative (11), Green (7), Labour (5), Independent (1)

If Labour withdraws, the existing coalition loses its majority.

Removing Labour’s five councillors leaves the Lib Dems, Greens and Independent with 31 of 70 seats, well short of the 36 required for a majority.

The Lib Dems and Reform are tied as the largest parties on 23 seats each, so Labour withdrawal could trigger substantial negotiations over who runs the council.

Broadland

Current situation: Labour is part of a Liberal Democrat/Labour/Green majority coalition (25/47 seats)

Seats: Conservative (19), Liberal Democrat (14), Labour (7), Green (4), Independent (2), Reform (1)

If Labour withdraws, the coalition loses its majority, and the existing administration cannot continue on the same numerical basis.

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Without Labour’s seven seats, the Lib Dems and Greens have 18 of 45 seats.

The Conservatives are the largest single party on 19 seats, so Labour withdrawal could lead to a new minority administration.

Havant

Current situation: Labour is part of a Labour/Green/Liberal Democrat coalition (18/36 seats)

Seats: Reform (10), Labour (7), Green (6), Liberal Democrat (5), Conservative (5), Independent (3)

If Labour withdraws, the existing three-party coalition is reduced to only 11 of 36 seats and cannot continue in its present form.

Labour itself has only seven seats, so it could not replace the coalition with a Labour administration on its own.

A new governing arrangement would have to be negotiated, with Reform the largest single party on ten seats and several different combinations potentially possible.

Arun

Current situation: Labour is part of a Liberal Democrat/Labour/Green/Independent majority coalition (33/54 seats)

Seats: Conservative (19), Liberal Democrat (14), Labour (8), Independent (6), Green (five), Reform (two)

If Labour withdraws, the existing coalition loses its majority.

Removing Labour’s eight councillors leaves the Lib Dems, Greens and Independents with 25 of 54 seats, short of the 28 required for an outright majority.

The remaining partners could try to continue as a minority administration but would need outside support or abstentions to pass key business.

Derbyshire Dales

Current situation: Labour is part of a Liberal Democrat/Labour/Green majority coalition (22/35 seats)

Seats: Liberal Democrat (12), Conservative (nine), Labour (six), Green (four), Independent (four)

If Labour withdraws, the administration loses its majority.

Without Labour’s six councillors, the Lib Dems and Greens have 16 of 34 seats, short of the 18 required for a majority.

They could potentially continue as a minority administration but would need support or abstentions from independents or other groups on key votes.

West Oxfordshire

Current situation: Labour is part of a Liberal Democrat/Labour/Green majority coalition (31/49 seats)

Seats: Liberal Democrat (19), Conservative (17), Labour (eight), Green (four), Reform (one)

If Labour withdraws, the remaining Lib Dem/Green administration loses its majority.

Without Labour’s eight councillors, the Lib Dems and Greens have 23 of 49 seats, two short of the 25 required for an outright majority.

The Lib Dems and Greens could potentially continue as a minority administration but would need outside votes or abstentions to pass key business.

Coventry

Current situation: Labour minority administration propped up by the Greens through an informal arrangement, including two Green Scrutiny Board chairs (24/54 Labour seats)

Seats: Labour (24), Reform (20), Conservative (six), Green (four)

If Labour ends the arrangement with the Greens, Labour remains the largest party and could try to continue as a minority administration but loses dependable Green support.

Labour has 24 seats, four short of the 28 required for an outright majority.

Labour would therefore need support or abstentions from other groups to pass budgets and other contested business, and the Green scrutiny arrangements would likely need to be revisited.

North Somerset

Current situation: Labour is part of a Labour/Liberal Democrat/Green/Independent majority partnership administration (35/50 seats)

Seats: Conservative (12), Labour (ten), Liberal Democrat (nine), Green (eight), Independent (eight), Reform (three)

If Labour withdraws, the remaining Lib Dems, Greens and Independents would have 25 of 50 seats.

That is exactly half the council rather than an outright majority, so the remaining administration would lose its existing majority but would be much closer to retaining workable control than in most other affected councils.

The practical effect would depend on voting arrangements and whether the remaining partners could secure support or abstentions from elsewhere.

Oxford

Current situation: Labour minority administration (20/48 seats) with an agreement for ‘closer working’ with the Greens on a number of issues rather than a clearly described formal coalition or confidence and supply deal.

Seats: Labour (20), Green (13), Liberal Democrat (nine), Independent (six)

If Labour ends the closer-working arrangement, there may be less immediate structural change than in councils with a formal coalition.

Labour would remain a 20-seat minority administration and would continue to need support or abstentions from other groups to pass contested business.

Whether the national instruction requires this looser arrangement to end depends on whether Labour treats this case as a power-sharing arrangement.

West Devon

Current situation: Labour is part of the Independent/Green/Liberal Democrat/Labour ‘West Devon Alliance’ majority coalition (21/31 seats)

Seats: Independent (11), Conservative (ten), Green (six), Liberal Democrat (three), Labour (one)

If Labour withdraws, the effect on the administration is small.

Removing Labour’s single councillor leaves the Independents, Greens and Lib Dems with 20 of 31 seats, still comfortably above the 16 required for a majority.

The existing alliance would need to change formally, but the remaining partners could continue to control the council without Labour.

A 16-year-old suspected gunman used a pump-action shotgun purchased by his mother in an attack at an Oregon elementary school that left four people dead, including three children, police said.

Gunfire erupted at Silver Rail Elementary School at approximately 12:59 p.m., after the teenager approached the building carrying the shotgun, according to authorities.

A law enforcement official familiar with the investigation told The Associated Press that the weapon had been bought by the suspect’s mother.

“We are stunned and heartbroken by this senseless tragedy,” Steven Cook, superintendent of Bend-La Pine Schools, said.

The victims included children aged five, eight and 11, along with a teacher, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz confirmed.

“This is a terrible tragedy, and we are working hard to investigate this incident,” Krantz said.

Authorities had not released the victims’ names.

The shooting began after a man in a red Toyota Tacoma pickup noticed the teenager carrying a long gun toward the school, according to The Source.

The driver confronted the teenager, who allegedly responded by firing repeatedly at him and the truck. A rear window was shattered, and the vehicle was left with six large bullet holes.

The suspect then reportedly threw the shotgun over the school fence and climbed over it himself, prompting the pickup driver to contact Deschutes County dispatchers at about 12:59 p.m.

Police reached the school by 1:02 p.m. Shortly afterward, the shooter was found dead after being pursued by a community member described as a hero.

Governor Tina Kotek praised the unidentified person who intervened as the deadly gunfire unfolded at Silver Rail Elementary School on Thursday afternoon.

“To the community member who heroically intervened… your actions carry a heavy emotional burden, and I want you to know my thoughts are with you as well,” Kotek said during a press conference.

Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said the individual pursued and “engaged” the teenager soon after the shooting started.

Officers later located the suspect, who had been shot and killed.

“Officers at the scene located five people who had succumbed to their injuries, including the suspect,” Krantz said. The other four were victims of the attack.

Paramedics established a treatment area outside the school while a seven-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher were taken to hospital. Their conditions were not immediately known.

A motive for the shooting remains unclear, and authorities would not confirm on Thursday night whether the suspect knew anybody at the school or if he had attended it when he was younger. 

Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Dr Steven Cook held back tears as he thanked emergency responders and the schools staff for their efforts to protect students during the attack. 

‘Today, an unthinkable tragedy happened at Silver Rail Elementary School,’ he began.

‘We are heartbroken. We are horrified. This is the kind of thing you hear about in other places and pray that it never happens here… today it happened to our children, our teachers and our families.’

As Cook uttered words to his community, his voice wavered when he thanked the heroic efforts of the school staff.

‘To our staff who helped our students and protected our kids today, we thank you. You did what no one should ever be asked to do. I am so grateful beyond words for your efforts,’ he said.

‘This is a time to love and care for one another…Please hold your loved ones tight tonight…We are going to rally and care for one another… We will get through this.’

Cook earlier described the attack as a ‘senseless tragedy.’

Hours after the teen opened fire on the school, community members gathered at Drake Park for a prayer vigil.

The scene lit by candlelight saw families and locals holding each other close as they mourned the loss of three children, aged five, eight and eleven, and a teacher who were gunned down on Thursday.

Pastors led the service as the crowd prayed for those affected by the tragedy and the emergency workers who responded to the scene earlier in the day.

A memorial was set up at the base of a stage at the park, as dozens of chalk writings contained prayers, political statements or simply read, ‘we will miss you,’ according to the New York Times.

A theme seen on social media throughout Thursday afternoon following the violence was echoed at the vigil, with one message reading: ‘Gun control now.’

Bend Mayor Melanie Kebler was heard asking the community to help support each other in the coming future, describing the tragic shooting as a dark day for the city, NBC News reported.

‘There are simply no words for the loss that we have suffered today,’ she said.

‘I am proud of our community for coming together to support one another, because that is what we are going to need right now.’

Pope Leo XIV spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, according to the Vatican.

During the call, the pontiff voiced “deep concern” over the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky.

Thousands of Ukrainians in the southern frontline city are reportedly facing starvation after Russian forces planted mines along the roads leading out of the area.

The Vatican said Leo urged Putin to agree to a truce that would allow first-aid materials and food to reach Oleshky, while also enabling the voluntary evacuation of the roughly 2,000 people still inside the city.

The conversation took place on the same day the pope was seen in public for the first time since undergoing surgery to remove a cancerous mass from his lung.

Leo, 71, underwent a 90-minute operation on Tuesday morning after doctors discovered a lesion on his chest. He was later diagnosed with cancer after part of his lung was removed.

Photographs released by the Vatican showed the Chicago-born pope standing before a makeshift altar in a room on the 10th floor of Rome’s Gemelli Hospital. He was wearing green vestments.

In the two images, Leo appeared relaxed and in good spirits, with his private secretary, the Peruvian priest Edgard Rimaycuna, standing beside him.

“He celebrated with the medical and nursing staff of Gemelli, as well as with people who happened to be there and were clearly off duty at the time,” the Vatican press office said. Police officers also joined the Mass.

The press office said Leo thanked the doctors, nurses and orderlies for their service, their closeness to patients and their care for people in vulnerable conditions. He also expressed gratitude for the attention and treatment he had received during his hospital stay.

The pope’s appeal came as repeated Russian drone strikes and artillery bombardments prevented vital food and medicine from reaching Oleshky. The attacks have placed the remaining population, including about 50 children, in grave danger.

Desperate residents have reportedly attempted to escape along the route known as the “Death Road” toward the southern city of Skadovsk.

The 62-mile journey is considered extremely dangerous. Mines reportedly cover the road, while Russian drones target vehicles and other moving objects.

“These people need to be saved,” Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, said on September 16. He added that residents were desperate to flee “from this hell.”

Those who die are reportedly no longer being buried after the city’s mortuary was also hit in a bombing.

The pope is expected to lead the traditional Angelus prayer on Sunday.

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But a Vatican source would not say whether it would be from the hospital or from the Vatican.

The Angelus prayer is traditionally recited by the pope every Sunday from the window of the Apostolic Palace overlooking St Peter’s Square to crowds of faithful gathered below.

Leo was admitted Tuesday to Rome’s Gemelli hospital, north of the Vatican, where he underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumour in his right lung.

Doctors have said that his recovery is progressing normally, but ongoing tests will determine the future course of his treatment.

On Thursday, his doctors said that a chest X-ray indicated ‘good recovery of the operated lung’.

On Friday, they said tests had shown ‘a steady improvement in his general condition’.

They said he was now carrying out ‘his normal daily activities completely independently’.

Test results to determine whether the cancer has spread are still pending.

‘Morale is good, that’s obvious. And the recovery as well because the pope has been able to celebrate mass,’ the Vatican source said.

The press office has not given an update to the possible timing of the pope’s discharge from hospital, repeating a doctor’s original statement that his recovery would take about a week.

Were Leo to recite the Angelus from the window of the Gemelli hospital, it would not be a first for a pope.

On February 6, 2005, 84-year-old John Paul II appeared at the hospital window while recovering from flu-related respiratory issues, as an aide beside him read out the Angelus prayer.

Pope Francis on July 11, 2021, then 84, also gave the prayer from the hospital window after surgery on his colon, telling the assembled crowd: ‘I am glad to be able to keep the Sunday Angelus appointment, even here.’

Also on Friday, the Vatican released a selection of letters and drawings sent by children at the hospital, including a picture of a tree ‘For Pope Leo’, complete with grass, sun and clouds, and a letter from an 18-year-old girl who wrote to Leo: ‘Better days will come for the both of us.’

A seven-year-old boy named Angelo wrote that he, too, had been on the 10th floor of the Gemelli hospital for the past 36 days for a head operation.

‘My mother and I pray for you every night,’ he wrote. ‘I hope you get well soon.’

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Prince Harry was filmed playing with Meghan Markle’s ponytail during the couple’s visit to Nottingham yesterday, where he also revealed that their son, Archie, “hates math” at his “new school”.

In footage from the day, the Duke of Sussex, 42, was seen stroking his wife’s hair as they took part in a series of royal-style engagements, including a visit to youth charity Epic Partners.

Harry ran his hand along Meghan’s long ponytail while the couple joined staff and visitors in singing “Happy Birthday” to Michaela Castillo, a member of the charity team.

The affectionate moment was one of several shared by the Duke and Duchess during their Nottingham appearance. They decorated cupcakes with icing and toured Epic Partners, which provides sports mentoring for children aged four to 18.

The couple also held hands and exchanged warm glances during the royal-style visit, marking their first joint public appearance since returning to the UK with their children.

Although Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, remained at school and did not join their parents in Nottingham, Harry and Meghan made several references to their children during the day.

The Duchess said that Lilibet “loves gymnastics”, while Prince Harry told a royal fan that Archie “doesn’t like math”, using the American term rather than the British “maths”.

During a bracelet-making session at Epic Partners, one young participant told Meghan, “I like it when I do gymnastics”, as they discussed their favourite activities.

The former Suits actress replied: “Our daughter’s doing that too, right now.”

Meghan also opened up about the moments that make her feel most comfortable, saying: “I feel most like myself when I’m at home with my family and also when I’m cooking. I love doing that, I love to cook.”

Harry’s wife then asked the girl whether she enjoyed “experimenting in the kitchen”, receiving an enthusiastic “yeah!” in response.

Elsewhere, the Duke told a group of schoolchildren that Archie was not particularly fond of math, again using the American expression during the conversation.

Harry, who has spoken about finding the subject difficult himself, said Archie had sweetly asked whether he could attend a school that “doesn’t do math” after moving to the UK.

In a video posted on X, Harry continued: “And then he went to this new school and on the first day, on the first class, guess what it was? Math!”

Harry has previously said that both Archie and Lili are “happy in school” during an interview with Canadian broadcaster CTV.

After completing a charity skydive outside Toronto, he told CTV that it was “great to be back on British soil” and said his children were “happy in school”.

Since Harry and Meghan returned to the UK after six years in California, they have been embroiled in a public spat with Buckingham Palace about their status, and their children have moved schools after their security team raised concerns about the school run. 

Elsewhere, Meghan Markle and Harry shared an emotional reunion with four women who cooked for grieving families in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire.

They kissed, hugged and held hands with the Grenfell ‘ladies’, who helped feed families devastated by the 2017 tragedy that claimed 72 lives.

The touching reunion came as the couple visited a food poverty charity in Nottingham, where the women had been invited to join them for a special lunch.

Meghan has maintained a close relationship with the community cooks, having made regular private visits to see them following the devastating blaze in west London.

Their work later inspired a community cookbook championed by the Duchess, with proceeds helping to support the women and their charitable efforts.

The Sussexes were greeted by cheers from around 50 well-wishers as they arrived at Himmah Hub, a former Methodist church which has been transformed into a centre supporting people struggling with food poverty.

Yesterday’s engagements in the East Midlands come almost a decade after Harry and Meghan carried out their first royal visit together in Nottingham after announcing their engagement. 

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The scenes looked identical to their walkabout in the city almost a decade ago – although the crowds appeared smaller in 2026.

However, Meghan was greeted by one familiar face, royal fan Irene Hardman, 90, who also met them in 2017. 

A video showed Irene presenting Meghan with a framed photo from the day as the Duchess gushed:  ‘Oh my gosh how sweet is that. That was our very first walkabout. What a great memory.’

Irene kissed Meghan’s hand and told the Daily Mail: ‘She said to me, “I remember it well”. It was just after they had got engaged. She’s an absolute delight, she’s a pleasure.’

A crowd of 100 fans gathered to greet Harry and Meghan during their first joint public appearance since returning to the UK.

The duchess beamed as she shook hands and took selfies with fans, including one boy who asked if she lived in a mansion and another who wanted to know whether she had a Bentley.

The visit came after the Sussexes were described as ‘private citizens’ by the King, who was in Wales with the Queen for an official engagement at the same time. 

One of the Duchess’s friends said Meghan does not see herself as a working royal and is instead more of a ‘full-time mum and entrepreneur’, adding that public events like this with her husband will be ‘rare’ for her.

The Sussexes were supporting a number of charities, including a community food project established in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy and a recording studio where Meghan took part in an acting workshop.

Meghan flew the flag for British fashion in a £1,495 wool and cashmere coat from Joseph teamed with the brand’s cashmere turtleneck jumper, costing £345, and the £695 mini loaf bag.

Her pencil skirt was the £175 Oliena from The Fold, in deep plum, made with ‘Clever Crepe’ that’s specially designed to be crease-resistant.

She completed her look with £650 burgundy heels from London-based brand Jennifer Chamandi, with a distinctive ‘eye of the needle’ heel, and what appeared to be a £26 jeans belt from M&S.

They were greeted with cheers, whoops and shouts of ‘I love you, Meghan’ as they stepped out of their black Range Rover Sport 4×4.

The couple also posed for selfies with well-wishers, with Harry putting a protective arm around his wife on several occasions. At one point, Meghan appeared to show someone in the crowd her jewellery.

One fan, who did not want to give her name, said: ‘I love the Royal Family. I was going to come shopping in town, so I thought I would come and try to see them. I want Harry and Meghan to know we still love them. I’m so glad all these people have turned up.’

In keeping with traditional royal engagements, the scores of photographers and journalists gathered outside were kept behind barriers, as were the crowds of well-wishers, some clutching flowers, with one youngster holding a unicorn balloon, while media access inside the event was pooled.

Harry and Meghan are waiting to hear whether they will be granted taxpayer-funded security, with the duke said to fear a delay after Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced a review of security measures for the Royal Family and public figures in the wake of the death of Reform UK’s justice spokeswoman Ann Widdecombe.

The duke and duchess are said to consider themselves ‘public figures’ and were caught off-guard by the letter, authorised by the King, outlining their position.

Meghan is hoping to launch As Ever in the UK by the end of this year.

Harry is focused on his charity work, especially Invictus, while Meghan is more focused on business and her potential return to acting.

‘They have different professional priorities,’ one source told the Telegraph.

‘Prince Harry’s is his philanthropic work and public service. Her focus is on her family and children, followed by her business, followed by rebooting her acting career.’

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