Zack Polanski vows to remain as Green Party chief after election defeat as stress mounts

Zack Polanski has vowed to carry on as Green Party leader after failing to win the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, beaten by Labour’s Sagal Abdi-Wali with a 13% swing to the Greens

Zack Polanski has pledged to continue as Green Party leader despite failing to secure a seat in Parliament in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election. Mr Polanski was bested by Camden Council leader Sagal Abdi-Wali, who held onto the seat for Labour following the resignation of former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer.

She garnered 45% of the vote compared to the Greens’ 33%, a majority of 3,364 but with a notable 13% swing towards the Greens, whose vote share increased by 22.4%. The election took place during a week that saw Mr Polanski facing scrutiny after Green members supported a motion declaring Zionism as racism, yet he affirmed his intention to remain as leader.

“Of course I can carry on as leader of the Green Party,” he stated when questioned about a potential threat to his leadership following the defeat.

“Of course, I wanted to win. No-one runs an election to lose,” he said, but noted that constituents had shown enthusiasm for his proposals for rent controls, addressing the climate crisis and nationalising Thames Water. Of course, we didn’t get over the line, but the point here is that ultimately, I want to make sure those were the options that people have.

“So many people told me on the doorstep, so they want to give Andy Burnham a chance. Well, he’s got a chance now. Let’s see what he does with it.”

A previous Green leader had suggested earlier that Mr Polanski could face a challenge to his leadership if he lost. Caroline Lucas, the three-time former Green Party leader who became its inaugural MP, urged people to “see what happens in the coming days and weeks” when questioned about his future the previous evening on BBC Newsnight.

She highlighted Mr Polanski’s absence from the contentious anti-Zionism motion on Sunday, stating he “should have been there and he should have voted”.

Mr Polanski sidestepped the question when pressed on whether he considers Zionism to be racism following the by-election outcome, but declared: “The displacement of the Palestinian people, the genocide is clearly racist.”

He rejected suggestions that he had lost grip of his party. “I don’t think that’s true at all. I’ve got a party that was 55,000, 60,000 members when I was running for leader, it’s now 220,000,” he said. “Any member is entitled to their opinion. We’re a democratic grassroots party.”

The approval of the motion at the party’s conference establishes it as official policy, despite resistance from Ms Lucas and four of the party’s five MPs, though this doesn’t guarantee its inclusion in future manifestos.

The north London seat has remained a Labour fortress since its creation in 1983, held by Frank Dobson for 32 years and Sir Keir for 11. Tory candidate Ewan Cameron secured third place in the by-election, with Reform and the Lib Dems trailing behind.

The Greens acknowledged defeat before the official announcement but described the “huge swing” as an “incredible result”. A party spokesperson stated: “We are disappointed to miss out tonight but any ideas of a return to the cosy two-party system is just wishful thinking on the part of the establishment. We are here to stay and just getting started. The voters have delivered a message to the Labour Government today. They want real change; they want rent controls, they want to see an end to the privatised water rip-off; and they want to see justice for Palestinians. On the climate crisis, Labour will not have an easy political ride if they bring in new North Sea drilling.”

Ms Abdi-Wali declared her victory as a testament to the success of diversity in the borough. She said: “I hope this moment also says something about who gets to belong, for people who look like me, I hope they see themselves reflected in this place and know that their path too belongs here. This is Camden, and this is Britain.”