Zack Polanski, the insurgent candidate with a radical new “eco-populist” agenda for the Greens, has emerged victorious from the party’s leadership race.
The vegan London Assembly member beat joint candidates Adrian Ramsay and Ellie Chowns, despite the two MPs’ head start in terms of profile within the party.
The 42-year-old has been praised by allies as a strong communicator who has energised the grassroots, while his opponents Mr Ramsay and Ms Chowns have accused him of using “polarising” language that only appeals to a “narrow segment” of the electorate.
Having worked in the past as an actor and hypnotherapist, Mr Polanski has had an unusual path into politics.
He was born in Salford as David Paulden, changing his name at 18 to differentiate himself from his stepfather named David.
Polanski was his grandfather’s original surname, which had been changed to avoid antisemitism.
Hailing from a non-political family, the young Mr Polanski’s political awakening began while studying drama in Atlanta, Georgia, where he witnessed inequality, racism and homophobia.
After working for community projects supporting homeless people and migrants and performing in politically-themed theatre productions back in the UK, he sought a more formal avenue for change.
He joined the Lib Dems in 2016 and stood as a councillor in London, putting that party allegiance down to his support for proportional representation.
But hearing the Greens’ stance on refugee rights made him switch allegiances a year later and he was elected a member of the London Assembly in 2021.
After being elected Green Party deputy leader in 2022, Mr Polanski surprised the party hierarchy by launching his leadership bid in May.
His pugnacious communication style and social media savvy saw him quickly gain traction, with his video announcing his #BackZack leadership campaign gaining 1.5 million views on X.
An incident that has dogged him and reared its head again when he announced his leadership intentions is a 2013 Sun article entitled “TIT-NOTISED Can you really THINK your boobs bigger?”
In it, a Sun journalist who posed as a client wrote that Mr Polanski, then working as a hypnotherapist at a London Harley Street practice, boosted her bust size through hypnotherapy.
Mr Polanski has apologised for the experiment, which he said he did not charge for and was misrepresented by the newspaper.
Throughout a sometimes fractious campaign, Mr Polanski has urged the Greens to be “bold” and pushed what he brands as a mass-membership “eco-populist” movement, while his rivals emphasised a need to appeal to a wide range of voters.
Generating headlines as effectively as Nigel Farage’s Reform UK has been one of his stated aims, as well as providing a home for progressive voters disappointed by Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Government.
