diff --git a/CHANGES b/CHANGES
index c29546752d..cd3cc7231d 100644
--- a/CHANGES
+++ b/CHANGES
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+5330.	[bug]		'configure --without-python' was ineffective if
+			PYTHON was set in the environment. [GL #1434]
+
 5329.	[bug]		Reconfiguring named caused memory to be leaked when any
 			GeoIP2 database was in use. [GL #1445]
 
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 49f92ae55a..0d6df8eea0 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -968,6 +968,7 @@ LT_SYS_LIBRARY_PATH
 PKG_CONFIG
 PKG_CONFIG_PATH
 PKG_CONFIG_LIBDIR
+PYTHON
 MAXMINDDB_CFLAGS
 MAXMINDDB_LIBS
 MAXMINDDB_PREFIX
@@ -1726,6 +1727,7 @@ Some influential environment variables:
               directories to add to pkg-config's search path
   PKG_CONFIG_LIBDIR
               path overriding pkg-config's built-in search path
+  PYTHON      path to python executable
   MAXMINDDB_CFLAGS
               C compiler flags for MAXMINDDB, overriding pkg-config
   MAXMINDDB_LIBS
@@ -12491,6 +12493,8 @@ except: exit(1)'
 default_with_python="python python3 python3.7 python3.6 python3.5 python3.4 python3.3 python3.2 python2 python2.7"
 
 
+
+
 # Check whether --with-python was given.
 if test "${with_python+set}" = set; then :
   withval=$with_python;
@@ -12514,6 +12518,7 @@ fi
 if test "$with_python" = "no"; then :
   { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking for Python support" >&5
 $as_echo_n "checking for Python support... " >&6; }
+       unset PYTHON
        { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: disabled" >&5
 $as_echo "disabled" >&6; }
 else
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 031206ca21..623cb277d1 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -207,6 +207,8 @@ except: exit(1)'
 
 default_with_python="python python3 python3.7 python3.6 python3.5 python3.4 python3.3 python3.2 python2 python2.7"
 
+AC_ARG_VAR([PYTHON], [path to python executable])
+
 AC_ARG_WITH([python],
 	    AS_HELP_STRING([--with-python=PATH],
 			   [specify path to Python interpreter]),
@@ -221,6 +223,7 @@ AS_IF([test "$with_python" = "yes"],
 
 AS_IF([test "$with_python" = "no"],
       [AC_MSG_CHECKING([for Python support])
+       unset PYTHON
        AC_MSG_RESULT([disabled])],
       [for p in $with_python
        do