Polanski wins big, declares war on Labour

Just under a month ago I wrote that the Green Party Leadership Election would prove pivotal for the Greens and the wider Left. That couldn’t be truer now as London Assembly Member Zack Polanski waltzed to victory over his rivals Adrian Ramsay MP and Ellie Chowns MP. Polanski achieved an astounding 84.6% of the vote, with 20,411 votes to Chowns/Ramsay’s 3,705 votes.

Polanski’s vote share was the greatest since Caroline Lucas and Jonathan Bartley achieved 86% in 2016, and it was significantly greater than any pollster predicted as both FindOutNow and Focal Data had it 65-35 in Polanski’s favour. Perhaps even more notable than the vast margin of victory was the rise in turnout from 22% to 38% of the party membership. With these results, a fractious and divided campaign has concluded with a clear and decisive mandate for Polanski and the “eco-socialist” wing of the party.

Polanski ran his campaign on a consistent theme of “Social, Racial, Environmental, and Economic Justice” which clearly resonated strongly with the Green Party membership compared to Chowns/Ramsay’s cautious centrism. In a time of mass protest against the Labour government from both left and right, Chowns and Ramsay massively misread the mentality of the Green Party base, who polls show are nearly as dissatisfied with this government as Reform UK voters.

The promise of business as usual from Chowns and Ramsay was thoroughly rejected by the membership, which may spell the end of the Green Party as a second home for disaffected Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, who were pivotal in delivering Chowns and Ramsay their places in Parliament in 2024. The two rural MPs will be at risk at the next election if Reform UK’s position in the polls stays consistent.

Following his comfortable victory, Polanski has given himself a series of significantly less comfortable tasks for his year long term: Winning a mayoral election in the 2026 Locals (eyes on Hackney, Lewisham, or Sussex and Brighton), organising a relationship with the new Left party, and finally turning the Greens into a major political force in England and Wales.

In a series of responses to the national media following his victory, Polanski declared he would like the party to win “at least 30 seats” at the next General Election. While this may not seem like a lot, by Green Party standards this is an enormous statement of intent. The Greens broke into parliament in 2010 with Caroline Lucas and only expanded on their 1 MP in 2024, when they picked up 3 seats in Bristol, Herefordshire, and East Anglia.

Polanski’s ambition should be a warning sign to Keir Starmer and the Labour Party, the fact that a Green leader can confidently say they will pick up dozens of seats in Labour strongholds is a depiction of just how unpopular Labour have become since they entered government. As well as this, Polanski categorically ruled out the prospect of propping up a Labour government at the next election, choosing to embark on a scathing attack of the Prime Minister. Polanski stated that “what we’ve had in Keir Starmer is despicable in terms of politics” and then clarified his position even further, saying “I can’t imagine any scenario where I would want to work with Sir Keir Starmer.”

The line drawn by Polanski is a blow to the Labour Party, whose current electoral strategy is gambling that left-wing voters will return in order to keep Reform UK from obtaining a majority under FPTP. Polanski is clearly wise to this and will attempt to prevent Green-curious voters from succumbing to the pressures of tactical voting. His final message to Labour was “We are here to replace you.” This will harm Labour’s electoral prospects as the Green Party came second to Labour in over 30 constituencies at the last election and may draw votes from Labour in their marginal battles with Reform UK.

In his first few days as Leader, Zack Polanski has all but declared Labour as an enemy of his. But it hasn’t been all conflict, Polanski has already begun courting supporters of “Your Party” to join the Greens. He will aim to drag the Green Party further to the Left, signalling the possibility of collaboration with “Your Party” at both local and national elections. Polanski already shares good relationships with Zarah Sultana and Jeremy Corbyn, the pair congratulated Polanski on his victory and declared they looked forward to working with him.

However, it is worth noting that Green Party policy is not decided by the leader alone, but through two key bodies: the membership at conference, and the Green Party Executive (GPEX), where Polanski is just one of around 20 members with equal voting rights. The entire GPEX was elected alongside Polanski on the 2nd of September. Some commentators discussed the potential of the GPEX acting as a buffer on Polanski’s vision for the party, but the results saw members who backed Polanski dominate. Most importantly for Polanski, both his new Deputy Leaders were passionate supporters of his campaign.

While the two deputies have similar politics, they represent the different demographics the Greens have managed to win over in recent years. Elected in first place with 34% of first preferences is Leeds Councillor Mothin Ali. Ali is a man of many talents; A gardener, accountant, youtuber, anti-racism campaigner, and faith leader. He was a member of the Labour Party from 2000 until 2020, leaving early on in Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership, becoming a Councillor in 2022.

Serving alongside Ali is Co-Leader of Wealden District Council Rachel Millward, who was elected with 23% of first preference votes. Before becoming a Green Party Councillor in 2021, Millward’s life represented the more traditional Green Party member. Millward boasts a theology degree from Oxford, a masters in Gender and Development from Cape Town, as well as a decades long career as a director of film and arts. Despite not being a self-declared Socialist like Mothin Ali, and sharing reservations about working with Jeremy Corbyn, Millward will be a key ally of Zack Polanski.

With Polanski’s victory, the Greens have the potential to recreate the growth they saw from 2014 to 2015, where they rose from 2% to 6% in the polls on the back of disappointment with Labour and the Liberal Democrats amongst left-wing, socially liberal voters. This time around, the Greens have a much stronger starting point. They achieved 6.4% in the 2024 General Election and are now polling comfortably around 10%.

However, the man that blunted the Green Party’s growth on the progressive Left in 2015 is back again in 2025. According to various pollsters, Jeremy Corbyn’s “Your Party” may win over as many as half of 2024 Green voters. This places Polanski in a tough position; he has played a major role in moving the Greens to the left, just for a new party to appear in the space he was aiming to occupy. Polanski has shared a willingness to work with “Your Party”, although it is far from clear what kind of arrangement will be put in place for the next General Election amongst the fractured Left.

The only certainty at the moment is that Zack Polanski’s Green Party will be yet another thorn in the side of Sir Keir Starmer. Currently the Greens are only 10% behind Labour in the polls, the gap between them is narrower than at any time in history. And with a new left-wing party preparing to launch in the coming months, Labour faces a real danger. For the first time in a century, it could lose its status as Britain’s dominant party on the left.