Zack Polanski's approval rating falls following Golders Green row over police response
The Green Party leader shared a social media post which accused officers of "repeatedly and violently kicking a mentally ill man in the head"
Zack Polanski's approval rating has slumped following his reaction to the police response to the Golders Green attack, according to a new poll.
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The Green Party leader apologised after sparking controversy for sharing a social media post condemning the officers who arrested the terror suspect following Wednesday's attack.
Since then, his approval rating has fallen 14 points, a survey by pollster More in Common has suggested.
Having had an overall rating of -13%, just above Reform UK’s Nigel Farage and behind Tory leader Kemi Badenoch and Lib Dem chief Sir Ed Davey, Polanski’s rating has now hit -27%.
Read more: Polanski 'not fit to lead any party' after Golders Green retweet, Heidi Alexander tells LBC
Although the fall means he is now trailing Farage, he remains well ahead of Sir Keir Starmer's rating of -45%.
Luke Tryl, executive director of More in Common, said focus groups suggested Polanski’s response to the stabbing of two Jewish men in Golders Green last week had contributed to his fall in popularity.
Polanski retweeted an X post accusing officers of "repeatedly and violently kicking a mentally ill man in the head" when he was already incapacitated from being tasered.
The suspect, who was later identified as 45-year-old Essa Suleiman, a Somalian-born British national, had just allegedly stabbed Shloime Rand, 34, and Moshe Ben Baila, 76.
In an unusual intervention, Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said in a letter to Polanski that he was "disappointed" by his remarks, adding that the post was "inaccurate and misinformed".
Sir Mark said: "Without [the officer's] efforts to stop him I dread to think what the outcome could have been
The Prime Minister also branded it as "disgraceful".
Issuing an apology, Polanksi said he shared the tweet in haste and added: "Police responses to emergency situations such as these do need later reflection in the right forums, but I accept that social media is not the appropriate channel for doing so."
Mr Tryl said the drop in the approval rating showed the controversy had “very definitely cut through".
However, he added that the party still had “real momentum” going into Thursday’s local elections and a strong performance could see people change their view.
A separate poll published by More in Common on Tuesday suggested the Greens were on course to make significant gains in London.
The poll projected that the Greens could win the most votes in Hackney – the first time the party would have topped a poll in a London borough – and was within two points of Labour in Lambeth, Lewisham and Islington.
Mr Tryl said: "When you speak to particularly young graduates who are struggling in urban areas, there’s no doubt that Polanski’s Green Party offers them a sort of hope."