The current vibe
Things are feeling a bit mid for the Green Party of England and Wales right now. After a super successful run that included taking their first-ever seat in northern England and snagging a mayoral win in Hackney, the party is hitting a wall. Leader Zack Polanski, who was riding high on a "replace Labour" narrative, is now fighting for his political life following a loss to Labour’s Sagal Abdi-Wali in the Holborn and St Pancras byelection.
The fallout
Polanski’s popularity is lowkey in the trenches. New polling from More in Common puts him as the least popular major party leader in the UK, even trailing Nigel Farage. His image took a hit after he shared a post critical of police and dealt with controversies over unpaid taxes. The plot thickened last weekend at the Green party conference in Brighton, where a motion was passed equating Zionism with racism. Polanski abstained from the vote to campaign in the byelection, a move that didn’t sit well with senior party members like former leader Caroline Lucas, who said he "should have been there and he should have voted."
Can he bounce back?
Despite calls from figures like Jewish Greens leader Vivien Lichtenstein for him to step down, Polanski’s supporters—including the faction Greens Organise—are staying loyal. They point out that he has grown party membership to over 230,000 and that the 13-point swing against Labour in a safe seat was a massive W for their movement.
Analysts suggest Polanski needs a reset. Luke Tryl of More in Common noted that Labour’s shift toward Andy Burnham has pulled progressive voters back into their camp, while Polanski’s recent distractions have alienated softer supporters.
Why it matters
The Greens are at a major crossroads. Experts suggest their path to relevance isn't through internal culture wars, but by returning to the "rip-off Britain" economic messaging that originally hooked young voters. Whether Polanski can pivot back to those core issues before the party loses its momentum remains the big question.
