Polanski Vows to Stay as Green Leader After By-Election Defeat

Zack Polanski has pledged to remain leader of the Green Party after finishing second to Labour in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election in London, as criticism over his handling of a controversial party motion on Zionism deepens divisions within the party. The defeat has raised questions about his strategy, electoral prospects and ability to unite members with opposing views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Labour candidate Sagal Abdi-Wali won 45% of the vote, compared with Polanski's 33%, according to the BBC's election coverage published on October 9, 2026.

The Greens increased their vote share by 22 percentage points compared with the 2024 general election, but the result fell short of their hopes of capturing the constituency previously represented by former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. Polanski rejected suggestions that the defeat should prompt his departure, maintaining that the party's wider political movement extends beyond a single election or policy dispute. The next scheduled Green Party leadership ballot is due in summer 2027.

Vivien Lichtenstein, leader of the Jewish Greens, called for Polanski to resign, criticizing his absence from the party conference debate and vote on the Zionism motion. She told Times Radio that she was uncertain which Jewish party members Polanski had consulted, adding that he had not worked with the Jewish Greens committee.

Former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas also criticized Polanski's handling of the dispute, describing the motion as dangerous and fundamentally flawed. However, Lucas later clarified on X that she was not demanding his resignation and welcomed his acknowledgment of some concerns about the motion. The motion, adopted by party members at the conference in Brighton, characterized Zionism as an ideology supporting an ethnonationalist Jewish state and endorsed a single democratic Palestinian state across historic Palestine, including present-day Israel. Four of the Green Party's five MPs and one of its two deputy leaders opposed the motion, while the deputy leader in Wales and some local councillors resigned, according to the BBC.

Polanski defended his absence from the vote by saying he had been campaigning in north London. In subsequent interviews, he said he would not have supported the motion in its existing form without amendments and argued that the displacement and genocide of Palestinians were rooted in a racist ideology. Several United Nations reports have accused the Israeli government of committing war crimes amounting to genocide in Gaza.

Israel has repeatedly denied the allegations. The debate has intensified scrutiny of the Green Party's approach to Israel, Palestine, antisemitism and equal rights.

Asked by BBC Radio 4's Today programme whether Israel had a right to exist, Polanski declined to give a direct yes-or-no answer, instead emphasizing that no state should be entitled to oppress another people or commit apartheid or genocide. He said he supported equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians, arguing that Palestinians currently lacked equal rights. Jonathan Bartley, who served as Green co-leader from 2016 to 2021, said Polanski had failed to provide effective leadership during the dispute.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's World at One, Bartley called for an apology and warned that controversy surrounding the party had damaged its public image. Bartley also expressed concern that the party's changing membership could alienate older voters, while some longstanding Green figures have criticized Polanski for failing to engage publicly with the conference motion. According to the BBC, some party critics believe his position risks losing support from both opponents and supporters of the motion.

Green MP Sian Berry said she was prepared to work with colleagues to rebuild trust in the party's decision-making processes, address flaws in the motion and develop more inclusive policies. Prime Minister Andy Burnham called on Polanski to reverse the policy, while Labour chair Bridget Phillipson said the Greens faced a serious problem concerning antisemitism.

A separate analysis published by the New Statesman on October 9 argued that the by-election result reflected a reduction in concerns about Labour's direction under Starmer. The publication noted that Polanski's second-place finish demonstrated continued Green support but did not establish that the party could replace Labour as the principal force on the left. Political analysis cited by The Guardian also questioned claims that the Greens had dramatically expanded their support in the constituency.

In the 2024 general election, the Green vote stood at 10.4%, while independent candidate Andrew Feinstein received 18.9%. Combined, their share was 29.3%, meaning the increase in the combined left-wing vote was considerably smaller than the Green Party's headline gain suggested. The Guardian's reporting also described voters who had reconsidered supporting the Greens because of the Zionism motion, alongside residents concerned about living costs and the situation in Gaza.

The result leaves Polanski facing internal divisions as the party seeks to retain recent electoral gains and prepare for its next leadership contest in summer 2027.