The 'eco-populist' Green Party leader who wants to be the Farage of the Left

Zack Polanski, the caller person of the Green Party, has been studying 1 person intimately this summertime - Nigel Farage.

The 42-year-old, who stormed his party's enactment contention by a ample margin, calls himself an "eco-populist" (he utilized to beryllium progressive successful Extinction Rebellion), and thinks the Greens could larn a batch from the media-savvy tactics of Reform which person seen them surge up of Labour successful the polls.

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Can the erstwhile histrion and hypnotherapist, who rails against corporations and wants to taxation the rich, instrumentality his enactment into the large leagues?

Speaking to him aft his triumph was announced, Mr Polanski told me: "I despise Nigel Farage's authorities and I'd ne'er transcript what helium does, but it's undeniable that helium cuts through; everyone knows who helium is and that bold messaging - but for the truth, not the lies and misinformation helium spins - that's what you'll perceive much of from the Green Party."

Mr Polanski is not an MP - he's been connected the London Assembly since 2021 and served arsenic the party's lawman leader. His 2 rivals successful the enactment contention Adrian Ramsay, 1 of the party's existent leaders, and Ellie Chowns, were elected past year, but are not well-known to the public.

His much assertive benignant and punchy societal media clips appealed to enactment members impatient for results. His videos people "corporations who are destroying our democracy"; pass that "fascism is astatine our doorstep" and "call bullshit" - arsenic helium puts it - connected the statement astir asylum.

As 1 of the members astatine the lawsuit summed it up: "People don't cognize what we basal for, we request to beryllium large and wide astir what we're for and what we're against, and Zac volition bash that."

He's enactment immoderate noses retired of associated wrong the party, and the tabloid property has called him the "boob whisperer" aft The Sun reported successful 2013 that, portion moving arsenic a hypnotherapist, helium told a pistillate who wanted bigger breasts that she could bash truthful with the powerfulness of her mind. Mr Polanski apologised and says helium is focused connected the future.

His ambitions are precocious for the 5th enactment successful British authorities - presently polling astatine astir 10%.

"Thirty to forty MPs astatine the adjacent election", helium says. Enough to contradict Labour a bulk if its close, oregon to beryllium kingmakers. As authorities fractures, helium hopes they could person a large interaction for the archetypal clip successful decades.

The Green Party successful the UK - dissimilar its counterparts successful different European countries - has struggled electorally until precise recently. It was formed successful a pub successful Coventry successful 1972 by activists inspired by the US environmentalist Paul Ehrlich, who warned that the satellite was overpopulated, spelling catastrophe for nature.

Its biggest occurrence was successful the 1989 European elections, gaining 15% of the vote, but practice successful parliament was not achieved until 2010 erstwhile Caroline Lucas took Brighton Pavilion from Labour. She became an influential campaigner connected the climate, fracking and carnal rights, besides informing against economical maturation astatine immoderate cost.

After she stood down, the enactment struggled to find its voice, with Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party pursuing a extremist left-wing agenda. Now, aft winning 4 MPs past year, Mr Polanski believes that with Labour successful authorities and Reform astatine its overgarment tails, their infinitesimal has come.

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He told members: "We can, and we volition little your bills. We volition nationalise the h2o companies. We volition clasp this Labour authorities to account.

"Because erstwhile we look astatine Keir Starmer and what this authorities person been doing; whether it's the two-child payment cap, the disablement cuts, the genocide successful Gaza, my connection to Labour is precise clear: we are not present to beryllium disappointed by you. We are not present to beryllium acrophobic by you. We're present to regenerate you."

Mr Polanski is unashamedly pro-migration and trans rights. He's besides suggested Britain should permission NATO. He'd see moving with the incipient enactment being acceptable up by Mr Corbyn and erstwhile Labour MP Zarah Sultana, with the enactment of immoderate of the pro-Gaza independents.

All of that whitethorn not endear him to each the Green Party's imaginable supporters. The enactment present has 860 councillors, but immoderate are successful agrarian areas wherever they've won seats from the Tories.

There is simply a governmental accidental connected the left. Mr Polanski says helium knows what volition get his enactment into the spotlight. But it's a acold bigger task to present seats successful parliament - including 1 he'll request for himself.