Who is Zack Polanski?
Salford is where Zack Polanski was born, in 1982. The 2021 election took him to the London Assembly, and in 2022 he was made deputy leader of England and Wales's Green Party. His September 2025 leadership win came with more than 80% of the vote, and he calls his approach eco-populism, tying climate policy to the cost of living. February 2026 brought the party its first by-election win, in Gorton and Denton, and in May 2026 it made large local election gains. When Keir Starmer left Parliament, Polanski contested the resulting Holborn and St Pancras by-election on 8 October 2026. Labour won and he came second with 33% of the vote, after which he said he would remain leader.
Previously: Member of the London Assembly (since 2021) · Deputy Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales (2022-2025) · Green candidate, Holborn and St Pancras by-election (8 October 2026, second place)
Documented positions
- He would levy 1% a year on assets over £10 million and 2% on billionaires, and bring capital gains tax in line with income tax.Source: greenparty.org.uk
- Water companies should come under public control, in his view, and he wants a home insulation programme across the country.Source: greenparty.org.uk
- Buses should return to public control and be free for people under 22, he says.Source: greenparty.org.uk
- More council housing has his backing, and he wants local authorities empowered to introduce rent controls.Source: greenparty.org.uk
- He described the Greens' policy of remaining in NATO as out of date in 2025 and called for fresh alliances founded on peace and diplomacy.Source: bylinetimes.com
- In December 2025 he argued that what is spent on Calais enforcement should go toward a humanitarian response for migrants.Source: nation.cymru
- He urged de-escalation over Iran in 2026 and said the UK should lean on closer ties with European countries instead of relying on the US.Source: politicshome.com
Record
Polanski has never held national office. Party membership rose substantially once he became leader, and the Greens took their first London borough mayoralties in May 2026, in Hackney and Lewisham. A post he shared on a police arrest after a stabbing in Golders Green was criticised as inaccurate that month by Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley; Polanski apologised for passing it on in haste. At its October 2026 conference the party adopted a motion declaring itself anti-Zionist and treating Zionism as a form of racism, and Israel then barred him from entry. He did not vote on the motion, and said criticism of the Israeli state and antisemitism are distinct.
Supporters cite the party's electoral growth and his attention to inequality and living costs. His NATO stance, the price of his tax plans and the way he dealt with the conference motion are questioned by critics.
In their words
“Bus privatisation has been an unmitigated disaster.”
