In early September, the Green Party elected Zack Polanski as their new leader, succeeding the joint leadership of Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay. This comes after the party won a record 4 seats in the 2024 General Election, elevating the Greens into the greater limelight and political conversation in Westminster.
Since Polanski took the helm, the Green Party has shot up in popularity with the latest YouGov voting intention poll, recording 16% in popularity, equal to the previously governing Conservative Party. The same poll also found that the Greens are the most popular among 18-24 year olds, at 37% popularity. These polling numbers come amidst a large jump in membership, with the party surpassing the Conservatives’ membership with over 125,000 members—doubling the size of the party since Polanski became leader.
Polanski has brought economic reform to the top of the Greens’ agenda, advocating for a wealth tax aimed at the “super rich”, seeking to create a fairer economy that “tax[es] wealth, not work”. He hopes that tackling inequality within the economy would create more opportunities for government investment in services like the NHS and welfare, pledging universal free childcare and funding for SEND education. Polanski has also stated that he would replace the current first-past-the-post electoral system, which he says “favours larger parties”, with a proportional representation system.
Though he grew up in a Jewish family, Polanski is a vocal critic of Israel and the UK Government’s involvement in the conflict in Gaza. At a London protest in support of Palestine, he stated that “our government is not just complicit but an active participant” in the genocide occurring there. Polanski’s foreign policies include a re-examination of the UK’s relationship with NATO, favouring closer European alliances, and a foreign policy “focused on peace and diplomacy, rather than on nuclear weapons”. Polanski has sought to increase funding for overseas aid to 1% of GDP to support his foreign policy.
Polanski has set his sights firmly on the Labour Party, aiming to replace it as the main party of the left in Westminster. He has ruled out any future alliance with Labour, saying that he has “completely lost trust” in Prime Minister Keir Starmer. In the aftermath of the Green Party’s victory in the Brighton and Hove Council by-election in September, Polanski stated, “We’re not here to be concerned or disappointed by Labour. We’re here to replace Labour.” Polanski has also been boosted by the success of Zohran Mamdani in the New York Mayoral election, who ran on a similar economic platform as Polanski – Mamdani’s victory is encouraging to the Green Party and its supporters.
The Green Party has deep ties to Brighton and the University of Sussex. The Brighton Pavilion constituency has elected a Green MP since 2010, with Caroline Lucas serving as MP until 2024, when she was replaced by Sian Berry. Lucas has recently been appointed as Professor of Practice in Environmental Sustainability here at Sussex, in the University’s newly formed School for Progressive Futures. Sussex’s Green Party Society is the only remaining university society associated with a political party, with other party societies becoming dormant in recent years.
The Green Party, under the leadership of Zack Polanski, now seems to be a real political contender in Westminster. Boosted by fellow progressive victories at home and abroad, including Zohran Mamdani in the New York Mayoral election, the Greens are now taking direct aim at Keir Starmer’s Labour government. The 2024 General Election may have been a landslide for Labour, though it seems that the Green Party’s 4 MPs may have more longevity than Labour’s 400.
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