Story perspectives

Green Party Wins First London Mayors, Leads Poll

5/9/2026

Center

Green Party Wins Mayors

The Green Party secured its first directly elected mayoral victories in London, winning Hackney and Lewisham in May 2026.
Zoë Garbett and Liam Shrivastava were elected mayors of Hackney and Lewisham, respectively.
The Greens gained control of Waltham Forest and Hackney councils, giving them three London boroughs.
Sir John Curtice reported Greens at 18% share, ahead of Labour and Conservatives at 17%.

Right

Polanski Declares

Green Party leader Zack Polanski declared two-party politics dead and warned of an imminent showdown with Reform United Kingdom.
Zoe Garbett won the Hackney mayoral race with 35,720 votes, defeating Labour candidate who received 26,865 votes.
Reform United Kingdom captured a council in Havering while Conservative Party retook Westminster from Labour.
Polanski called on Labour leader Keir Starmer to resign, saying he has lost country’s trust.

History

Historical Context

In the 1990 West German federal election, the Green Party secured 5.5% of the vote, entering the Bundestag with eight seats. Chancellor Helmut Kohl’s coalition lost its absolute majority, forcing negotiations that gave the Greens legislative influence for the first time. Similarly, in May 2026 the UK Green Party captured Hackney and Lewisham mayoralties, with Zoe Garbett winning 35,720 votes against Labour’s 26,865. These breakthroughs suggest that Green movements can translate electoral surges into executive power, fundamentally reshaping local governance across Europe for decades.

1 of 3

Green Party Wins Mayors

The Green Party secured its first directly elected mayoral victories in London, winning Hackney and Lewisham in May 2026.
Zoë Garbett and Liam Shrivastava were elected mayors of Hackney and Lewisham, respectively.
The Greens gained control of Waltham Forest and Hackney councils, giving them three London boroughs.
Sir John Curtice reported Greens at 18% share, ahead of Labour and Conservatives at 17%.

1 / 3