Greens quietly hide ‘open borders’ policy amid migrant detention centre row
The Green Party has quietly hidden its migration policy from public view on its website, after it became the focus of attacks from the government and Reform.
Until at least March, the public was able to view a list of principles and objectives that were decided by party members in spring 2023.
The first principle reads: ‘The Green Party wants to see a world without borders, until this happens the Green Party will implement a fair and humane system of managed immigration where people can move if they wish to do so.’
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood targeted that statement in a speech at the start of March, suggesting the aim of a ‘world without borders’ would mean ‘the most expensive and expansive migration policies anywhere in the world’.
She said: ‘To some, this might seem like harmless student politics. But the danger and the possible damage is real.’
The policy has also been flagged by Reform’s home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf, including in media interviews this morning.
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Yusuf said the Green Party’s position justified his plan to focus the construction of migrant detention centres in Green-controlled areas if Reform wins power at the next general election.
A Green Party spokesperson said the idea was ‘abhorrent’ and ‘disgusting’, adding: ‘Greens are focused on building council housing, fixing our public services and bringing down the cost of living.’
But any member of the public seeking clarification on the Green position can no longer find any mention of it on the party’s website.
Instead, all pages that reference the target of a ‘world without borders’ now redirect to the homepage, which features a large image of party leader Zack Polanski and new MP Hannah Spencer.
According to the Internet Archive, two pages explaining the policy were still accessible to all in March.
In a blog post that month, Lancaster Green Party councillor Jack Lenox hinted that the details were moved to a portal that could only be accessed by party members.
He wrote that the policy was ‘publicly available on our website for years’, before saying: ‘It was moved behind a members-only login because journalists – including the Mail – kept misrepresenting it as our manifesto.’
Later, Lenox adds that the party is ‘proud of that aspiration [for a borderless world]’ and ‘honest about the pathway to get there’.
Asked about the policy in a tense appearance on Good Morning Britain last week, Polanski instead deflected to talk about host Ed Balls’ links to the Labour Party.
However, he told Sky News in December that open borders were ‘not a situation we can move to right now’ amid ‘political turmoil’ and emphasised that open borders had never been included in a Green Party manifesto.
The party’s 2024 manifesto did not mention the ambition, calling only for an end to the ‘hostile environment’, an end to minimum income thresholds for spouses of those on work visas, and the establishment of safe routes to sanctuary for people fleeing danger.
The Green Party has been contacted for comment.
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