Who is Green Party leader Zack Polanski?

The 43-year-old is now coming under attack from Labour as the two parties battle for votes on the left and has fended off a "dossier of disturbing views" from Green candidates, which has been distributed by Sir Keir Starmer's party.

Mr Polanski also admitted, on the eve of the 2026 local elections, that he had falsely stated to have been a spokesman for the British Red Cross - saying he "used the wrong word" in his own publicity.

Mr Polanski began his tenure by calling out Labour for what he feels has been pandering to the right-wing agenda of Reform - but has also said he can learn from them.

“I despise Nigel Farage’s politics and everything he stands for, he takes misinformation and lies and combines that with a powerful story,” he said.

“We will not spread misinformation and lies but one thing we can take from them is the powerful stories. That has led to Reform polling at the top.

“People look at the Labour government, a government that has completely failed them, and are looking for alternatives and solutions.

“Nigel Farage’s solutions will always make things worse and it’s a hateful dividing politics, everything I reject.

“But I do believe there is a space on the left of politics to say if you care about protecting the planet and want to lower your bills, then we have powerful stories too.”

Mr Polanski signed off his post-election speech by stating that the Greens would be elected, while he has also said the party will install a leader in Westminster.

As to how he will do this remains to be seen, but Mr Polanski has already come a long way since studying drama and working in his early career as a hypnotherapist.

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Who is Zack Polanski?

Mr Polanski is not one of the four MPs that the party returned in a historic result in July 2024 and is often seen questioning Sir Sadiq Khan in City Hall as a Londonwide AM rather than badgering Sir Keir Starmer as an MP.

His relatively lower government standing had made him an outsider for the party’s leadership election, despite his status as deputy leader from 2022.

However, members were won over by his self-described “eco-populism” and his ability to cut through in debates, having already appeared on Good Morning Britain.

The 43-year-old was born David Paulden but changed his surname to the Jewish name Polanski, which his family modified to avoid anti-semitism.

He also changed his first name to distinguish from his father and “Zack” was inspired from the book Goodnight Mister Tom.

Mr Polanski grew up in Salford but now lives in Stamford Hill, east London, with his partner, Richie.

His political career followed a period living in the US, where he studied drama and then worked in schools, prisons, nightclubs and hospitality, before becoming a hypnotherapist upon moving back to the UK.

It was in this latter profession that he made a comment in 2013, while working at a Harley Street practice, that women could enlarge their breasts by mind control. He has since apologised for stating this and said a Sun article, which covered it, was inaccurate.

He joined the Liberal Democrats after returning from the US but switched to the Greens in 2017 and stood, unsuccessfully, for the Westminster seat in the 2019 general election - before being elected to the London Assembly in 2021.

Elected as Green Party leader

The London Assembly member was elected to lead the outfit in a landslide, which saw him take 20,411 votes to the 3,705 amassed by a co-led effort by MPs Adrian Ramsay and Ellie Chowns.

Thanking supporters at the party event in London, Mr Polanski said: "If you’re feeling hopeless, if you’re feeling in despair, if you’re feeling politically homeless, there is a political home for you.

“And I promise you, nothing will make you feel more inspired, more ready to get out there and more like we can turn our country around than joining the Green Party.”

Of his mission, he said: “We listen to the poorest communities, whether the migrant communities, disabled communities, the trans community, working-class communities, whoever needs us to have their back, we will be there.

“We will be there to amplify their voices, to listen to the most marginalised and minority communities, to speak with them, not for them, and challenge truth to power, to take on power and wealth in this country.”