With all eyes of the media focusing on the now former Deputy Prime Minister and her tax wrongs and the race to replace her as deputy Labour leader, something potentially monumental has slipped through the net and gone amiss to many across the country.
A new political leader has emerged in England, promising eagle-eyed political observers and activists alike some interesting times ahead. This is Zack Polanski: the new leader of the Green Party of England and Wales.
Who is Zack Polanski?
Born in Salford, Greater Manchester, Zack Polanski started off in politics as an active member of the Liberal Democrats, standing for local council elections and London Assembly elections. He heckled Jeremy Corbyn at a Momentum rally in 2016 over his stance on the EU.
In 2017, Polanski joined the Green Party, becoming treasurer of the Jewish Greens in 2018 and an elected London Assembly member in 2021.
After a stint as deputy leader of the Greens starting in 2022, Polanski stood for leadership of the Party this year stating that they needed to “take advantage of disillusionment with the Labour government” and “meet the challenge of Reform UK.” Polanski stated that he aimed to “replace the Labour Party” and that he “could not imagine supporting a coalition government led by Keir Starmer.”
He was elected with 20,411 votes (84.6%) compared to his rivals, Green MPs Adrian Ramsay, and Ellie Chowns, who polled 3,705 votes (15.4%).
First impressions
Bold. From the outset, the new Green Party leader is not afraid to shy away. He dives straight in calling out the broken system of the country and placing the blame for failure where it has always been, not with migrants but with the wealthiest. He calls out the owners of private yachts and calls for a wealth tax, European Union membership, electoral reform, and nuclear disarmament in a way that no other party in England has done.
Charismatic. He talks a good talk; it can’t be denied. No beating around the bush, he engages directly with questions fired at him and keeps those listening to him engaged. But will that translate into him walking the walk?
Radical. Like Nigel Farage, he offers radical solutions to Britain’s problems. Unlike Nigel Farage, there is no bigotry or hate. Nor are the solutions a load of rubbish. The self-proclaimed eco-populist drives a radical vision for Britain on the left-wing of the political spectrum and is seemingly spoiling for a fight to take on the current political establishment. Is that a fight he can win, however?
What do voters think?
Speaking to a number of voters across the political spectrum, the reception of the new Green Party leader was largely positive.
The response from floating voters, many of whom had voted Labour at the last election, was disappointment and anger with Keir Starmer as well as a feeling of ‘hope’ in Zack Polanski. But for the positive reception received, a number of people also expressed that they had not heard of him before and didn’t know who he was, opening the door to concerns that a lack of knowledge of him could work against his electoral fortunes.
Can he break through?
Zack Polanski has big ambitions, wishing to turn every seat his party finished second in the general election into a Green Party MP at the next one. But despite the ‘Polanski Surge,’ the increase in Party membership since his bid to become leader, the opinion polls have not shifted much. At the time of writing, the Greens were averaging 10% in the polls after Polanski’s election with Reform UK (Reform 2025 Ltd) taking the lead. With not many people knowing who he is, this may cause problems in future elections if he doesn’t get himself more widely out there.
His predecessors, one of whom was a leadership rival of his, saw the number of Green MPs quadruple at the last general election; taking two seats from the Conservatives and one from Labour.
Zack Polanski certainly represents a breath of fresh air in mainstream politics with bold ideas and, so far, a reputation to say it as it is.
He may not yet be fully established in the whole public eye and he does have a skeleton in his closet, the hypnotherapy scandal from over a decade ago, but he does have some opponents rattled. With social media attacks on Zack Polanski out there from the Labour Party almost immediately after his election, can it be said that he is seen as a threat? Could he be the architect of a political shift in the UK akin to the rise of Reform or will the Greens remain on the fringes of the mainstream under his leadership?
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