Labour are ‘handmaidens’ to Reform, Green Party leader to tell conference

Newly elected Green leader Zack Polanski will make an appeal to voters ahead of the local elections in May next year, pledging his the party would bring down bills by taxing high-earners and investing in public services.

During his speech on Friday afternoon, Mr Polanski is expected to call for a tax on the assets of the wealthiest 1% of people with the aim of reducing inequality.

He said he aims for the Greens to create “a country we can all afford to live in”.

Mr Polanski, who comfortably won the leadership election ballot of Green Party members in September, is due to say Labour “plays handmaidens to [Reform’s] dangerous, deceitful politics”.

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Read more: Zack Polanski to call for tax on super-rich in speech at Green Party conference

He will add: “When Farage says jump, Labour asks ‘how high’. But the Greens won’t dance to the tune of a Trump-loving, NHS-dismantling corporate stooge. Let’s say it loud and clear: migrants and refugees are not the problem; they are part of what makes Britain great.

“The real threat to our high streets, to our homes, to our NHS, comes from decades of austerity, privatisation and an economic system that rigs the rules for billionaires.”

As his party gathers for the three-day event in Bournemouth, he will tell voters that “hateful, divisive politics is on the ballot paper this May” saying only the Greens can offer hope.

He is expected to say: “At every opportunity, our message will be clear: the Green Party will bring down your bills, cut the cost of living and protect our NHS… We will tax the wealthiest, end rip-off Britain, and invest in public services that work for everyone.”

The party’s membership numbers have increased by nearly a fifth since he beat a joint ticket from MPs Adrian Ramsey (Waveney Valley) and Ellie Chowns (North Herefordshire), officials have said.