Green party leader Zack Polanski has launched his party’s local election campaign with a sharp attack on Labour, accusing the government of offering what he described as a “toxic combination of chaos and cowardice”.
The remarks came as the UK politics debate on Thursday was also shaped by questions over Russian activity at sea. In interviews this morning, foreign secretary Yvette Cooper declined to confirm reports that a Russian warship had been escorting two sanctioned Russian ships through the English Channel.
Those sanctioned vessels are understood to be carrying oil that is being sold to help fund Russia’s war in Ukraine. The UK government recently said the armed forces had been authorised to board such ships in British waters in an effort to stop them.
Cooper, however, did not directly address the reports about the warship escort. Instead, she pointed to the broader response to Russia’s use of what is often described as a shadow fleet.
“What I can tell you is that we have given permission now for action to be taken against the Russian shadow fleet,” she said. “Operational decisions then have to be taken in the right way by the military.”
She added that there are signs of more than one kind of Russian pressure at work. “There are indications of the way in which not just the Russian shadow fleet is operating, but also the way in which we are seeing increased Russian threats, not just to the UK, but across Europe as well,” she said.
The comments highlight two separate but connected pressures facing the government: domestic political criticism from opposition parties and continuing concerns about Russia’s actions in European waters. Polanski’s intervention is intended to sharpen the Greens’ message as local election campaigning gets under way, while ministers are still navigating the security implications of Russia’s maritime operations.
The government’s position, as set out by Cooper, is that action against sanctioned ships is now permitted, but that the precise response must be left to the armed forces to decide operationally. The foreign secretary’s remarks suggest ministers are being cautious about confirming details of individual incidents while signalling a tougher stance overall.
At the same time, the reports of a possible Russian naval escort have raised questions about how far Moscow may be willing to go to protect the movement of sanctioned vessels. The English Channel remains a strategically sensitive route, and any such activity is likely to draw close scrutiny from UK officials and allies.
Polanski’s choice of language in his attack on Labour reflects the increasingly combative tone of the campaign season. By linking accusations of chaos and cowardice to the government’s performance, he is seeking to present the Greens as a more decisive alternative at local level.
The day’s political agenda is therefore being shaped by both campaign politics and national security concerns, with ministers pressed to respond to developments involving Russia while parties position themselves ahead of the local elections.
Further updates are expected as the story develops.
