Self-described “eco-populist” Zack Polanski was elected as the new Green Party leader on September 2nd in a landslide victory securing 84.6% of the vote. Polanski's focus on tackling climate change, advocacy for working people and promise of “bold leadership” encouraged 20,411 Green Party members to place their trust in him. With right wing populism on the rise in the UK, the new Green leader aims to beat them at their own game – the media.
Mirroring the tactics of Nigel Farage, Polanski aims to bring the party into the mainstream, capturing the same disillusioned voters that are being drawn to Reform. In a tweet this July, he argued “Cutting through on media and socials is the back-up our door knockers and leafleters need”. Polanski followed through on this immediately after being elected.
His first announcement as leader was not a policy or change to the party but the launch of his podcast “bold politics” where he explores progressive political ideas such as the imposition of a wealth tax and challenging anti-immigration policies. Just days after his electionhe took on right wing populism directly by travelling to Farage’s constituency in Clacton to speak with voters anddismantle the Reform leader’s policy on workers’ rights. The video circulated multiple social media platforms, including YouTube and Instagram.
In a speech at the Green Party conference earlier this month, the leader reinforced his eco-populist approach saying “You cannot be an effective environmentalist without talking about the inequality in our society”. This perspective has moved the party closer to the left and helped it overcome its image as a single-issue movement. In particular, he criticises the Labour Party’s failure to impose a wealth tax and their changes to the welfare state, pointing to the role two-child benefit cap plays in maintaining child poverty and how cuts to disability benefits deepen inequality.
The speech also condemned the government for its stance on Gaza and complicity In Israel’s war crimes, promising that the Green Party “will do everything we can to stop the genocide.” As Keir Starmer moves the Labour Party towards the right, Polanski is offering a real left wing alternative but his strategy hasn't gone unchallenged among Greens. Unsuccessful leadership candidate Ellie Chowns argued “To win under first-past-the-post, we have to connect with a wide range of voters. We do that not through polarising language that appeals only to a narrow segment” However, the surge in Green Party membership post his election tells a different story with an increase of 10% placing the party above 80,000 members - many inspired by his approach to politics and progressive policies.
A recent YouGov poll has suggested 28% of Britons would now consider voting Green, with particularly strong support among young people, putting the party on track to reach its goal of 30 MPs in the next general election. But first Polanski's attention is on the 2026 Senedd elections. Within his first week as Green Party leader he made his way to Cardiff to campaign, delivering a powerful speech to members of the Welsh Green Party.
He promised the election will be his “top priority” as Wales “isn’t being given the attention it deserves”. In the fully proportional election to the Welsh parliament, polling suggests that leader of the Welsh Greens Anthony Slaughter could become the party’s first ever member of the Senedd, running in the Caerdydd Penarth constituency. The Green Party’s success following Zack Polanski’s election speaks to a change in our political culture – one where bold politicians promising change are appealing to wide voter bases.
The new leader’s ability to adapt to this landscape is seeming to put them in a strong position for elections in the coming years.