An Eco-Populist Just Won The Green Party Leadership Race. Here's Why That Matters

Zack Polanski, new leader of the Green Party.Self-proclaimed eco-populist Zack Polanski has just won the Green Party’s leadership race by a more than a healthy margin.He received 20,411 votes from the party membership while Ellie Chowns and Adrian Ramsay’s joint campaign secured only 3,705 votes.Unlike his leadership rivals, Polanski is not an MP but a London Assembly member – although he has been serving as the party’s deputy leader since 2022. In his victory speech, he said: “I promise to work every single day to deliver environmental, social, racial, and economic justice.“And to those of you who didn’t vote for me – this is a democracy, we don’t have to agree on everything.”While the Green Party is still a small group with just four MPs and two peers in Westminster, Polanski’s election could trigger a substantial shift in their fortunes.Impact on the leftThe most eye-catching element of Polanski’s campaign was his promise to employ populism to elevate the Greens’ message.He wants the party to be bolder and more forthcoming on the cultural issues many on the left feel Labour are effectively ignoring, such as the plight of the Palestinians in Gaza and the government’s changes to the welfare state.That means he could end up occupying a very similar space to Jeremy Corbyn’s party – yet to be formally named but known only as Your Party – only with a more environmental slant.While Polanski has indicated he could be open to the idea of working with Corbyn and his fellow independent MP Zarah Sultana, the former Labour leader has already spurned any such alliance.Corbyn said the Greens are not leftwing enough, and are too frequently in “eternal, riven debate” over what they stood for – although he would be willing to work with them over specific issues.Could that change now Polanski holds the reins?As the new Green leader told HuffPost UK over the summer, he believes Your Party’s policies overlap with the Greens, so “it kind of makes sense to join the Green Party”.If they do not work together, there’s a risk the two groups could end up splitting the leftwing vote – just at a time when there’s more appetite for insurgent groups in the Commons.The four new Green MPs who won seats in the 2024 General Election, (L to R) Sian Berry (MP for Brighton Pavilion), former party co-leader Carla Denyer (MP for Bristol Central), former party co-leader Adrian Ramsay (MP for Waveney Valley) and Ellie Chowns (MP for North Herefordshire) pose for photos on Abingdon Green, opposite the Palace of Westminster on July 08, 2024 in London, England.Impact on the Green PartyThe contest for leadership was remarkably fractious, especially for a party with a real reputation for playing nice.Following weeks of agitated debate between the two, Polanski’s opponent Ramsay was asked if he liked his opponent during a live debate on LBC.Ramsay initially refused to say – even as Polanski insisted he likes Ramsay.Polanski told HuffPost UK in the summer he was “upset” at that response, but added: “I also shrug my shoulders and say, that doesn’t matter. We work perfectly well together. These are professional relationships, and I like him.”He then noted: “But, you know, I’m a human being. And if someone doesn’t like you, then, yeah... that was... it was bizarre.”These tensions mean many will be looking to see how well the party functions now, especially as Polanski has to run the show from outside of parliament.The Greens also have to elect a new leader to represent them in a Commons to lead their agenda in Westminster, which could cause further friction within the small group.Polanski would not get a vote or an official say as it is decided between the MPs, meaning Chowns or Ramsay could be appointed to that role.Chowns and Ramsay made no secret of their scepticism for Polanski’s attempts to use populism to win over more voters, suggesting it would not be effective.Chowns told HuffPost UK in May: “I really don’t think that we win Green power by aping Donald Trump or Farage in any way.”She continued: “You could say, ‘direct all of your anger at the billionaires and fossil fuel companies,’ – but those causes are mostly distant and faceless.“Whereas Reform is tapping into this visceral interpersonal blaming of a subgroup – migrants.”What it shows about politics right nowAside from the unusual fact that none of the Greens’ four MPs are leading the party now, Polanski’s election reflects a wider change in British politics.Novara Media reported in June that Green Party membership grew by 8% after Polanski announced his leadership bid earlier this year, suggesting his means of communicating is really cutting through.But, little more than a year after Nigel Farage’s party unexpectedly secured five seats in the general election, it also hints at the a real hunger among voters to support those more outspoken politicians who promise quick change. It points to the number of voters Labour has lost to the left, as Polanski’s campaign also focused on the flaws of their first year in government.YouGov found in June that nearly half (45%) of Labour’s voters from 2024 are open to voting Green – it’s now up to Polanski to capitalise on that.Related...'None Of This Needed To Happen': How Corbyn's Party Is Causing Hand-Wringing Among The Labour LeftGreen Party Hopeful Hits Out At Rival's Eco-Populist Pitch With Farage ComparisonJeremy Corbyn's New Group Sounds Very Much Like Another Party Which Is Rising On The LeftExclusive: Green Party Frontrunner Zack Polanski On Trying To Make It From Outside 'Dull' Westminster

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