Zack Polanski elected leader of the Green Party

Zack Polanski has been elected leader of the Green Party of England and Wales by a landslide, signalling a clear shift to the left for the party.

The London Assembly member beat Green MPs Adrian Ramsay and Ellie Chowns, who were standing on a joint ticket, by 20,411 votes to 3,705.

In his victory speech, Polanski promised to build a “green left” to take on Labour, telling Sir Keir Starmer’s party: “We are here to replace you.”

His election potentially opens the door to cooperation with the new left-wing party being set up by former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and ex-Labour MP Zarah Sultana.

He said it was “too soon to talk about joining electoral coalitions”, but he was interested in working with “anyone who wants to challenge a failing Labour government and take on fascism and the far right”.

Asked about possible collaboration with Corbyn’s new party, he said he was “watching the situation very closely” but his immediate focus was on growing the Green Party.

Polanski, a former actor who was the party’s deputy leader, campaigned on an “eco-populism” platform and has promised to make the party “bolder” and more radical in its approach.

In his victory speech, he said: “If you’re feeling hopeless, if you’re feeling in despair, if you’re feeling politically homeless, there is a political home for you.

“And I promise you, nothing will make you feel more inspired, more ready to get out there and more like we can turn our country around than joining the Green Party.”

He also took aim at Sir Keir, saying: “We will hold this Labour government to account.

“Because when we look at Keir Starmer and what this government have been doing, whether it’s the two-child benefit cap, the disability cuts, the genocide in Gaza, my message to Labour is very clear: we are not here to be disappointed by you, we are not here to be concerned by you, we’re here to replace you.”

Polanski also turned his fire on Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, branding them “charlatans” and insisted the Greens were the real patriots because they welcomed asylum seekers through safe and legal routes.

“This country needs immigration,” he told cheering supporters.

The party said its membership had reached a record high of 68,500 during the leadership campaign, following an influx of new members.

During a sometimes fractious leadership campaign, Ramsay and Chowns had accused Polanski of risking the party’s electoral gains with a “polarising, strident” approach.

Polanski paid tribute to his defeated rivals in his victory speech, and the other Green MPs, describing himself as “standing on the shoulders of giants”.

In a joint statement, Ramsay and Chowns congratulated Polanski on his victory.

“As MPs, we are fully committed to our crucial role: holding this government to account and championing the policies needed for a fairer, greener and more liveable future,” they said.

The party’s four MPs will now have to elect one of their number to lead the party in the Commons, as Polanski takes over control of the party as a whole.

Labour pointed to Polanski’s previous call for the UK to consider leaving the Nato military alliance, as the party congratulated him on his victory in the leadership race.

Labour Party chairwoman Ellie Reeves said: “We are living through serious times and the public rightly expect responsible and measured responses from all political leaders.

“Zack Polanski must level with the British people as to whether he stands by his recent failure to support continued Nato membership, and what it means for his party’s stance on Putin’s appalling illegal war in Ukraine.

“The Labour government’s commitment to Nato membership is unshakeable and always will be.”