Greens ban words 'nutter' and 'mother and father' in crackdown on 'unacceptable' language
Zack Polanski's party has told members not to use words such as 'elderly' and 'homosexual' to avoid causing offence
Green Party members have been told to stop using "unacceptable" words such as "nutter" and "lunatic" under new guidance on inclusive terminology.
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Members have been told to use gender-neutral phrases such as "parents and carers" instead of "mothers and fathers", while the word "elderly" is described as 'inappropriate".
The phrase “black, Asian and minority ethnic” (Bame)" is cautioned against because “many people are uncomfortable with grouping diverse experiences under a single label”.
Terms such as "nutter and lunatic" are also to be avoided because they “reinforce negative stereotypes and stigma about mental health”.
Calling people "transsexual" and "homosexual" is deemed offensive because they exclude "non-binary" people.
The party warns members that using the wrong terminology can create "unwelcoming or exclusionary” environments and contribute to bullying and harassment.
The guidance reassures members that it's OK to get things wrong from "time to time" as long as they are trying to be more "inclusive".
But it warns that repeated behaviour may be deemed harassment, which would break the party's code.
Harry Potter author JK Rowling blasted the guidance, stating: "Speaking as the elderly mother of three youngsters, who hasn't had a sex change and knows many homosexuals, it is my able-bodied and sexually-preferred opinion that the Greens are turning into total nutters."
A Green Party spokesman said: "This is an existing and standard equalities training document, similar to those found in other organisations that also take equalities seriously. It is a guide and nothing else."
They did not comment on when the guidance was published.
Under Zack Polanski's leadership the membership of the Green Party has swollen from 68,000 last year to more than 200,000 in March 2026.
According to a YouGov poll released on Wednesday, the party's net favourability fell from five to -19 over the course of Mr Polanski's leadership.
Mr Polanski is standing in Sir Keir Starmer's former constituency of Holborn and St Pancras in a by-election on October 8.
He will face Labour's Sagal Abdi-Wali, a former Somalian refugee and the current leader of Camden council in what is expected to be a two-horse race.