The leader of the Green Party of England and Wales Zak Polanski has said he has no intention of resigning despite his defeat in the London by-election and mounting criticism from his own party. Political tensions surrounding him have also escalated over a controversial resolution on Zionism adopted at a party conference.
Polanski came second in the Holborn and St Pancras by-elections, where Labour candidate Sagal Abdi-Wali won 45% of the vote to the Greens leader's 33%, the BBC reported. Abdi-Wali received 12,292 votes, while Polanski – 8928. Despite the defeat, the Greens' vote share has increased by 22 percentage points compared to the 2024 general election.
The Greens had hoped to win the seat previously held by former British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. However, Polanski categorically rejected the possibility that the election loss would lead to his resignation from the party leadership.
“Yes, I suffered a defeat tonight, but our movement is much bigger than one election or one resolution“, he told the BBC.
Controversial resolution on Zionism
The main source of internal party tension is a resolution adopted by Green Party members at their conference in Brighton. The document defines Zionism as an ideology supporting an "ethno-nationalist Jewish state", while the party supports a "united democratic Palestinian state in all of historic Palestine", including the territory of modern Israel. After approval by members, the resolution became official party policy.
Polanski did not attend the vote, explaining his absence by campaigning in North London. After several days of avoiding stating how he would vote, he said that he would not support the document in its current form without amendments, describing it as "imperfect".
At the same time, Polanski stated that in his opinion "the displacement and genocide of the Palestinian people are clearly based on a racist ideology". Several UN reports have accused the Israeli government of committing war crimes, amounting to genocide in Gaza. Israel has repeatedly denied the allegations.
When asked by BBC Radio 4 whether he believed Israel had a right to exist, Polanski did not answer with a “yes“ or “no“. “I do not believe that any state has the right to oppress or to commit apartheid and certainly not genocide against another people“, he said. Polanski added that he wanted equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians.
Call for resignation from Jewish Greens
The leader of the Jewish Greens, Vivienne Lichtenstein, called on Polanski to resign and described his decision not to participate in the debate on the controversial resolution as a “big mistake“. She also disputed claims that the party leader was working with Jewish Greens members, saying that this was certainly not the case with the Jewish Greens committee.
Former party leader Caroline Lucas also voiced criticism. She said Polanski should have been present at the vote. She described the resolution as "dangerous" and "wrong from start to finish" and said there was a lack of leadership on the issue. Lucas, however, stopped short of calling for Polanski to step down and welcomed the fact that he had voiced some of her concerns about the document.
Greens MP and former co-chair Adrian Ramsay also refused to say categorically that Polanski should remain at the helm. "A lot depends on what happens in the coming days and weeks," he told the BBC, adding that Polanski had not shown the leadership he had expected from him. Ramsay is working to overturn the resolution.
Another former Green Party co-chair, Jonathan Bartley, called on Polanski to admit his mistake and apologise, but also stopped short of calling for his resignation. According to Bartley, there was already a certain "toxicity" surrounding the Green Party and its political brand needed to be restored. He pointed out that the party was attracting new members from the left, but at the same time losing some of its older voters.
Divided Green Party
The dispute over the resolution has already caused serious division. Four of the Greens' five MPs and one of the party's two deputy leaders have opposed the document. The Greens' representative in Wales and some local councillors have resigned, and some local party structures and the European Green Party have distanced themselves from the position.
Brighton Pavilion MP Shan Berry said she was ready to work with her colleagues to "restore trust" in party procedures and address the serious flaws in the resolution.
Polanski continues to insist that anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism are different concepts and that no one will be excluded from the Green Party because of their faith, place of worship or affiliation with a religious organisation.
Despite the growing tensions, his position so far appears relatively secure due to the support he enjoys among rank and file party members. The next regular Green Party leadership election is due in the summer of 2027, with Bartley predicting that Polanski will likely have a rival for the post then.