Zack Polanski’s landslide election as leader of the Green Party of England and Wales has set political circles abuzz—not only for the scale of his victory but also for the bold, sometimes controversial, positions he’s bringing to the fore. Polanski, a self-declared “eco-populist,” clinched an overwhelming 85% of the vote in the party’s 2024 leadership contest, as reported by The Conversation, with 20,411 members backing him out of a 38% turnout. The resounding win over his more moderate rivals signals a dramatic shift for the Greens, who have just marked a record four seats in the last general election.
But who are the people powering this new direction? According to a survey conducted as part of the Party Members Project and detailed by The Conversation, the Greens are not quite the youthful insurgency their public image might suggest. Just under 5% of the 732 party members surveyed were in the 18-24 age bracket, while the rest were evenly spread across the 25-49, 50-64, and over-65 groups. The gender balance is a point of pride: exactly 50:50, the most equal among the UK’s major parties. Socioeconomically, however, the party’s core is solidly middle class—83% fall into the ABC1 category, denoting higher social grades. Geographically, Green members are disproportionately clustered in London, the south, and the east of England, rather than in the north or Midlands.
Ideologically, the Greens’ grassroots are as radical as their new leader. A striking 88% voted Remain in the 2016 Brexit referendum, and an almost unanimous 96% want the government to increase taxes and spend more on public services—outpacing even Labour and Liberal Democrat members in fiscal progressivism. When asked to place themselves on a left-right scale, 27% of members identified as “very left wing,” 54% as “fairly left wing,” and 16% as “slightly left wing.” The Conversation’s analysis suggests the party’s base stands to the left of Labour’s own membership, with a strong tilt toward what political scientists call the “green alternative libertarian” end of the spectrum.
Environmentalism, of course, is foundational: 98% of Green members support cutting emissions to reach net zero. On immigration, only 18% thought it had been too high over the last decade, while 29% said it was too low and 41% thought it was about right. Socially, the party is progressive to its core—80% disagreed that men and women should have different roles in society, and 75% admitted they weren’t proud of the UK’s history.
The qualities Green members value in a leader are telling. According to the same survey, two-thirds prioritized “a strong moral compass,” just over half cited “a good communicator,” and just under half wanted “the ability to empathize with others.” Polanski’s media presence and campaign style, as The Conversation points out, seem to fit this bill perfectly. But whether his radicalism will translate into broader electoral appeal remains to be seen.
Polanski’s own rhetoric and background have certainly caught public attention. As detailed in the Daily Mail, he has not shied away from controversy. In a recent BBC interview, he declared, “A lot of people who are poor have to go around stealing because they have no other option. If I had no money or any way of getting any money or food to my family then I would consider shoplifting.” He went on to accuse the UK of “criminalising poverty and criminalising inequality.”
His comments arrive at a time when shoplifting in Britain has reached record levels. According to the Office for National Statistics, 530,643 shoplifting offences were reported to police in the year to March 2025—a 20% jump from the previous year’s 444,022 cases. That’s more than 10,000 thefts a week, or 1,454 a day, the highest since records began in 2003. The financial toll is staggering: from 2023 to 2024, UK retailers suffered £2.2 billion in losses to shoplifting, a figure that rises to £4.2 billion when crime prevention costs are included.
Polanski’s remarks have drawn sharp criticism from political opponents and some in the media, who argue that justifying theft, even in the context of poverty, risks undermining the rule of law and could further embolden criminal activity. Yet, for many Green supporters, his stance is seen as a necessary, if uncomfortable, spotlight on the desperation faced by those at the sharp end of Britain’s cost-of-living crisis.
Polanski is no stranger to unconventional headlines. Before his political ascent, he was a Harley Street hypnotist and actor, once dubbed “the boob whisperer” for his claim that hypnosis could increase breast size. He’s also a veteran of direct action, having been arrested at an Extinction Rebellion protest in 2019 and showing support earlier this year for the now-banned activist group Palestine Action. His political journey has included a stint as a Liberal Democrat, but he’s made clear his intention to take the Greens further left, including a call to drop the party’s support for the UK remaining in NATO.
In his victory speech, Polanski didn’t mince words: “The planet is burning and so is the public’s patience. People are rightly feeling let down and angry at Labour and are appalled by the rise of the far-Right. People have been crushed by spiralling rents and while wages have not kept pace. We need bold action, bold leadership. It’s time the super-rich paid their share. It’s time to tax extreme wealth and redistribute it to those struggling to live, to breathe, to survive.”
His leadership comes at a time of both opportunity and risk for the Greens. On the one hand, the party has never had more MPs, and public concern over climate change and inequality is high. On the other, Polanski’s radicalism—on issues from wealth taxation to NATO and now shoplifting—could alienate moderate voters or those wary of perceived lawlessness.
The Conversation’s survey suggests he has a strong mandate from party members to push the Greens in a more radical, left-liberal direction. But as the party seeks to expand its appeal beyond its middle-class, southern heartlands, the challenge will be convincing a broader swathe of the electorate that Polanski’s unapologetic progressivism is the answer to Britain’s woes.
For now, Zack Polanski has both the wind at his back and the eyes of the nation upon him. Whether his leadership marks a new dawn or a high-water mark for Green radicalism may depend on how he balances principle with pragmatism in the months ahead.
