On October 3, 2025, the UK’s Green Party took a decisive step onto the national stage as newly elected leader Zack Polanski delivered his keynote address at the party’s annual autumn conference in Bournemouth. The 42-year-old politician, who won a landslide internal election just weeks earlier, used his speech to sharply criticize Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government, denounce what he called an “authoritarian drift,” and lay out a bold left-wing vision for Britain’s future.
Polanski’s remarks came at a fraught moment for the country. Just a day earlier, a terror attack at a synagogue in Manchester left two people dead, an act committed by a British citizen of Syrian descent. As the nation reeled, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood called pro-Palestine protests in the wake of the attack “un-British” and urged demonstrators to “show some humanity.” But Polanski, himself raised in a Jewish family in Manchester, struck a different note. “My heart is with the community,” he said, expressing solidarity with those affected by the violence. Yet he refused to let the tragedy justify what he described as a crackdown on civil liberties, particularly the government’s proscription of the Palestine Action protest group. “We cannot talk about stopping the genocide without talking about the draconian crackdown on the right to protest happening against those taking action for Palestine,” Polanski told the conference, as reported by Bloomberg.
Polanski did not mince words about the ongoing conflict in Gaza. He branded Israel’s military actions as “genocide,” a charge Israel vigorously denies, insisting its operations are a justified response to the deadly Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, and the continued detention of hostages. For Polanski and the Greens, though, the issue is not just about foreign policy. It’s about the rights of Britons to dissent at home. “From terrorist proscription against protesters, to banning journalists from their conference, to diving into a rushed, evidence-free plan for digital IDs that are likely to discriminate against minorities. The alarm bells of authoritarianism are now ringing,” Polanski declared, according to The Independent. “Our rights and our liberties are not negotiable, and we will do everything in our power to protect both our privacy and defend our juries.”
His speech was met with rapturous applause from party delegates, and it’s not hard to see why. Polanski’s election marks a clear shift for the Greens toward what he calls “left-wing populism.” He beat out rivals Adrian Ramsay and Ellie Chowns in September by a massive margin—20,411 votes to 3,705—promising to make the party “bolder” and more radical. “It’s time to take this bold vision of social and environmental justice up a gear. I come into this role today with urgency, purpose, and a single mission: To build a country where no one is left behind,” Polanski said in his victory statement, as reported by Plant Based News.
Polanski’s personal story also shapes his political outlook. A vegan for a decade and vegetarian for ten years before that, he’s known for his strong environmentalist credentials. Earlier this year, he collaborated with advocacy group Viva! and other experts to produce “A Cruelty-Free Manifesto for London,” urging Mayor Sadiq Khan to introduce plant-based meals by default in public catering and schools. His advocacy for plant-based policies is part of a broader push to address the climate crisis, food poverty, and public health, issues that resonate with many potential Green voters.
Indeed, the Greens’ climate policies remain their main draw, with nearly 50 percent of potential voters citing them as a reason for support, according to Plant Based News. The party has made significant inroads at the local level, holding 859 seats on 181 councils as of May and gaining 48 new seats in recent elections. More than 20 percent of Britons now say they would consider voting Green, a testament to the party’s growing appeal as mainstream parties, especially Labour, shift to the right.
Polanski was unsparing in his criticism of Labour’s rightward movement, particularly on immigration. He accused Starmer’s party of responding to the rise of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK by hardening its stance. “The prime minister might call this an island of strangers. When Farage says jump, Labour might say ‘how high’,” Polanski quipped, drawing a sharp contrast with the Greens’ welcoming approach to migrants and refugees. “But the Greens won’t dance to the tune of a Trump-loving, tax-avoiding, science-denying, NHS-dismantling corporate stooge.”
His rhetoric didn’t stop there. Polanski warned that Starmer’s Labour was becoming the “handmaiden” for Reform UK’s “dangerous and deceitful politics,” accusing the government of enabling the rise of the far right. “A party leading in the polls with plans to deport our friends, our neighbours, our family members. And a government, a Labour government who are the handmaidens of this dangerous, deceitful politics,” he said, as reported by The Independent. Polanski’s hope is that, as Reform surges in the polls with what he calls a “politics of despair,” the Greens can offer a “politics of hope.”
So what does this politics of hope look like in practice? Polanski outlined a raft of policy proposals aimed at easing the cost of living crisis and addressing social and environmental injustices. Chief among them is a wealth tax on the richest 1% of Britons, which he says would help fund universal free childcare, rural bus routes, and investments in green energy. “We need to make sure that everyone in this country knows there will be people who go to sleep tonight and without lifting a finger they will wake up richer,” he said, vowing to “end rip off Britain” by taxing the super-rich.
Other proposals include nationalizing infrastructure assets like water companies, protecting the National Health Service from privatization, and supporting refugees and migrants by introducing safe and legal routes to enter the UK. Polanski also called for an end to arms sales and intelligence sharing with Israel, arguing that Labour’s recent recognition of a Palestinian state was “deeply cynical” given the government’s ongoing involvement in the conflict.
Despite the fiery rhetoric and ambitious agenda, the Greens remain a relatively small force in Westminster, with just four representatives in the 650-seat House of Commons. However, their membership has more than doubled since 2014, now exceeding 80,000—a growth Polanski attributes to dissatisfaction with the current government and a desire for genuine alternatives. Some Labour MPs, he claims, are even considering defecting to the Greens amid growing unease with Starmer’s leadership.
Polanski’s first conference as leader was not just a moment for fiery speeches and policy announcements. It was a clear signal that the Green Party intends to challenge the political status quo, offering a left-wing, climate-focused alternative to both Labour and the right. As the party’s membership swells and its message gains traction, the question is whether the Greens can translate this momentum into real electoral gains. For now, Polanski’s message is one of urgency—and hope—for a Britain that leaves no one behind.
