Zack Polanski’s Eco-Populist Turn and Its Impact on the Green Party

Since succeeding as leader of the Green Party of England and Wales in 2025, Zack Polanski has steered the party toward a broader “eco-populist” platform that blends environmental policy with progressive economic reforms such as a wealth tax. His 85 % leadership mandate was described by former party staffer Russell Warfield as a “landslide” that reflects a shift from a purely conservation-focused core to a left-wing coalition.

The Guardian

Warfield’s new book argues that the current “watermelon” faction—green on the outside, red on the inside—has existed for at least a decade, echoing internal debates from the early 1970s. He traces the party’s lineage to figures like Teddy Goldsmith, an environmentalist from a Tory family whose “deep ecology” ideas influenced the Greens’ early formation.

The Guardian

YouGov polling cited by Warfield shows 34 % of voters trust the Greens on environmental issues, the highest trust level recorded for any party on any issue. However, the same polling indicates a decline in Polanski’s personal approval and a drop in Green voting intention from 21 % of the electorate in March to 11 % in the current month. On 8 October, Polanski will contest the Holborn and St Pancras byelection, a race that could test the party’s electoral momentum.

The Guardian

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley labelled Polanski’s criticism of the police response to the Golders Green attack as “inaccurate and misinformed.” Warfield defended Polanski’s social-media style, arguing that excessive staff sign-off would stifle the leader’s authenticity.

The Guardian

• “What you’ve got to understand is that the party has been watermelon for at least 10 years,” — Russell Warfield

The Guardian

• “There’s often this dichotomy presented that there’s this ‘real core’ Green party who are these ecologists who really just care about conservation of the environment, then there’s this new cohort of hard leftists,” — Russell Warfield

The Guardian

• “Reform were trying to goad him into apologising for incitement to murder,” — Russell Warfield

The Guardian