From Grassroots to Growth: How the Greens Are Germinating Under Polanski
Image Credit: John Gomez Via Shutterstock
For too long the UK has been run by the social elite, and with Labour’s continuous shift to the centre amid plummeting approval ratings, people are crying out for a genuine left-wing alternative. Following the shambolic ‘launch’ of Your Party involving factional disputes between Zarah Sultana and Jeremy Corbyn, many have already defected to the Green Party. In New York, we have seen a triumph of the left in Mamdani’s historic win, but can Polanski replicate the same success here?
With Green’s membership more than doubling since the 2024 election to the great heights of 150,000, it begs the question, what has catalysed this pivotal growth?
The Green Party has always attracted younger generations with its advocacy for the environment, but its unclear stance on other policies and uninspiring leaders have ensured it remained on the side lines of British politics – until now. Zack Polanski represents what left-wing voters so desperately want – a charismatic leader who is unafraid to speak his mind, enter the debate around controversial issues, and openly advocate new policies.
Polanski’s predecessors, Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay, were weak in their opposition to Labour, in particular when Labour voted down the Climate and Nature Bill abandoning the UK’s responsibility to legally-binding targets on climate change. Denyer and Ramsay also lacked clarity, often at odds in their approach to various issues, such as transgender rights. Perhaps this is why, in Polanski’s own words, “the movement need[ed] a single figurehead”.
Since becoming leader, Polanski has turned the tide within the Green Party by directly advocating for transgender rights, taxing the wealthy, ending privatisation and unashamedly labelling Farage a fascist. Polanski champions minority groups, the very same groups who are villainised by the scapegoating and cruelty of far-right politics. As a gay Jewish man, he draws on his intersectional experience as a driving force for his “solidarity with minority groups” in a society fractured by politics of division. Simply put, his focus is on “improving people’s lives. Focusing on inequality and empowering communities”, uniting an increasingly fragmented society, whilst upholding equality.
Crucially his unwavering support for Palestine cements his voice as a unique one in British politics with Polanski saying the Greens “will do everything [they] can to stop the genocide”. Following the government’s morally controversial proscription of Palestine Action, Polanski accused Labour of a “draconian crackdown on the right to protest”. As the right-wing continues to spout false narratives about the left and the motivations of pro-Palestinian protests, we cannot let authoritarianism hide behind the mask of public order. After Greenpeace activists were threatened with imprisonment following a peaceful act of protest, Polanski denounced the move, arguing that “when we criminalise protest, we don’t just attack activists. We attack democracy itself”. As Monbiot rightfully put it, “the moment protest ceases to be effective is the moment democracy dies”.
Polanski’s magnetism permeates his viral videos, on TikTok, Instagram and X, championing the platforms with his wit and straight-talking policies to appeal to the young: with 40% of 18–24-year-olds seemingly backing the Greens in a recent YoungGov poll. His appearances on more traditional media, like daytime TV and political programmes such as Newsnight, have also increased his support. Where the previously gutless Greens have failed to uproot any voters’ doubts, Polanski directly tackles criticism and tough questions, providing a clarity and honesty that has been absent in politics for decades. With Starmer’s constant evasion of simple questions and Farage’s media manipulation, Polanski’s unapologetic moral candour is the oxygen of which British politics has been starved.
So, what does Polanski need to do now? Despite his success in appealing to left-leaning voters, Polanski must persuade the wider electorate that Reform is not the answer. His goal, and our moral duty, is to ensure the culture of scapegoating migrants is put to an end, and to convince voters that Polanski’s policies will provide the change they need – economic equality. As Polanski says, “economic justice is everything”.
In a society polluted by divisive language from the right, Polanski is a seed with widening roots breaking through the concrete. He is a reminder that we can choose growth over rot, choose politics rooted in dignity and equality rather than distrust and degradation.
The surge in the Green’s growth isn’t just a political shift – it is about giving Britain its breath back in a mire of divisive politics.