Polanski Defiant as Green Leader Despite By-Election Loss and Zionism Motion Backlash

Zack Polanski has insisted he will remain at the helm of the Green Party despite a disappointing by-election defeat and mounting criticism from within his own ranks over his handling of a contentious party motion on Zionism.

The Green leader faced a double blow this week, first from the party's conference vote that formally adopted a controversial definition of Zionism, and then from voters in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, where his party fell short of expectations.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast on Friday, Polanski was unequivocal when asked whether he intended to stay on as leader. He replied that he would "absolutely" continue in the role and confirmed that he had "of course" not considered stepping down in the aftermath of the result.

The by-election, held on Thursday in the North London constituency previously represented by former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, saw Labour's Sagal Abdi-Wali secure 45% of the vote. Polanski finished second with 33%, while Conservative candidate Ewan Cameron took 1,922 votes, Reform UK's Pete Newman secured 1,612, Liberal Democrat Patrick Stillman received 924, and Restore Britain's Tyler Johnson garnered 692 votes.

Despite the loss, the Green Party could point to a significant silver lining: their vote share rose by 22 percentage points compared to the 2024 general election. This suggests the party's broader appeal may be growing, even if it was insufficient to capture the seat.

The defeat stung particularly hard given that the Greens had harboured genuine hopes of winning Holborn and St Pancras, following a successful by-election earlier this year that had demonstrated the party's capacity to challenge Labour in urban strongholds.

However, the fallout from the party's conference motion on Zionism has overshadowed the electoral result and triggered an internal crisis of confidence in Polanski's leadership.

The motion, which was passed by rank-and-file members on Sunday in Brighton, defined Zionism as an ideology supporting "an ethnonationalist Jewish state" and endorsed a "single democratic Palestinian state in all of historic Palestine," a territory that encompasses modern-day Israel. It has now become official Green Party policy.

Polanski chose not to attend the vote, explaining that he was campaigning in the North London constituency. His absence drew sharp criticism from senior figures within the party, including Vivien Lichtenstein, leader of the Jewish Greens, who publicly called for his resignation on Friday.

Lichtenstein told Times Radio that Polanski's decision to avoid the debate represented a "big mistake," adding: "I don't know which Jewish members of the party he's been working with – it certainly hasn't been with the Jewish Greens committee."

Her comments echoed those of former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas, who argued that Polanski should have been present for the vote. Lucas described the motion as "dangerous" and "flawed from top to bottom," stating that leadership "was frankly missing" on the issue.

Adrian Ramsay, a Green MP and former co-leader, also declined to offer his full backing to Polanski when questioned on the BBC's Politics East programme on Friday. Asked whether Polanski should continue leading the party, Ramsay responded: "A lot depends on what happens in the days and weeks to come." He added that Polanski "did not show leadership I would have been looking for" and revealed he was now working to reverse the motion's adoption.

In his own defence, Polanski confirmed in Friday interviews that he would not have supported the "imperfect" motion in its original form without amendments. However, he also stated that "the displacement and genocide of the Palestinian people is clearly underpinned by a racist ideology." Several United Nations reports have accused the Israeli government of committing war crimes amounting to genocide in Gaza, allegations Israel has consistently denied.

The controversy intensified when Polanski was pressed repeatedly on BBC Radio 4's Today programme about whether he believes Israel has a right to exist. He declined to give a direct yes or no answer, instead saying: "I don't believe any state has the right to oppress or to commit apartheid and certainly not genocide on another people." He added: "I don't believe that's a state that anyone should be supporting."

When presenter Nick Robinson pushed for a straightforward response, Polanski said: "I've repeated many times that I want to see equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians – at the moment Palestinians don't have equal rights so I think I'm answering your question really clearly."

Behind the scenes, longstanding Green figures have expressed frustration with Polanski, accusing him of being "missing in action" during the controversy. Critics argue the situation has become untenable, with the leader of a party whose official Middle East policy he personally disagrees with. One insider warned that Polanski "is in danger of losing the confidence of both wings" of the party, noting that supporters of the motion are now irritated by his refusal to publicly endorse it.

Jonathan Bartley, who served as Green co-leader from 2016 to 2021, called on Polanski to "put his hands up" and "say sorry" for his handling of the situation, though he stopped short of demanding his resignation. Speaking to BBC Radio 4's World at One, Bartley said: "I think [the vote] was a failure of leadership from Zack and there is a certain toxicity now around the Green Party." He added that the Green brand "needs to be detoxified," pointing to an influx of new members who have "maybe come from the left of the Labour Party."

Despite the chorus of criticism, Polanski's popularity among the grassroots membership may shield him from an immediate leadership challenge. Caroline Lucas, while critical of his absence from the vote, explicitly stated she was not calling for him to stand down and welcomed his indication that he shares some of her concerns about the motion. "Now the party needs to come together to make the urgent changes needed to take us forward," she said.

The coming days and weeks will prove critical for Polanski's leadership. He must navigate a party deeply divided over the Zionism motion while attempting to maintain the electoral momentum that saw Green vote share surge in Holborn and St Pancras. Whether he can reconcile these competing pressures without further eroding confidence on either side of the debate remains the central question hanging over his leadership.