Polanski Refuses to Quit as Green Leader Despite By-Election Setback and Zionism Uproar

Zack Polanski has insisted he will remain at the helm of the Green Party, brushing aside calls for his resignation from within his own ranks after a disappointing by-election result and a deepening internal dispute over the party's stance on Zionism.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Polanski said he would "absolutely" carry on as leader and rejected any suggestion that his position had been called into question. His defiance came just hours after Labour's Sagal Abdi-Wali claimed victory in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, a seat the Greens had hoped to seize following a strong showing earlier in the year.

Abdi-Wali secured 45% of the vote, while Polanski took 33%. Despite the loss, the Green leader pointed to a significant silver lining: the party's vote share rose by 22 percentage points compared with the 2024 general election. He argued that the broader movement he represents transcends any single ballot or internal policy motion.

The contest had been highly anticipated because the constituency was previously held by former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, and the Greens had been riding a wave of momentum after a by-election triumph earlier in 2026. That earlier success had raised expectations that Polanski could deliver another upset in north London. Instead, Labour held firm, and the result has amplified questions about his leadership.

The pressure on Polanski has been compounded by a furious row over a motion passed at the party's autumn conference in Brighton. The motion, approved by rank-and-file members, formally defines Zionism as an ideology supporting "an ethnonationalist Jewish state" and endorses a "single democratic Palestinian state in all of historic Palestine," a territory that encompasses modern-day Israel. The measure now forms part of official Green Party policy.

Polanski was absent from the conference vote, choosing instead to campaign in the North London constituency. His decision to skip the debate has been widely criticised, including by two former Green leaders who accuse him of failing to show leadership on an issue that has deeply divided the party.

Vivien Lichtenstein, who leads the Jewish Greens, told Times Radio on Friday that Polanski should resign. She said it was a "big mistake" for him to have dodged the debate and added that she did not know which Jewish members of the party he had been consulting, insisting it had not been her committee.

Caroline Lucas, a former Green Party leader, also criticised Polanski's absence from the vote. She described the motion as "dangerous" and "flawed from top to bottom," and said leadership "was frankly missing" during the conference. However, Lucas stopped short of calling for his resignation, welcoming instead his later acknowledgment that he shares some of her concerns.

Adrian Ramsay, a Green MP and former co-leader, was similarly hesitant to offer full-throated support. Asked on the BBC's Politics East whether Polanski should continue as leader, he replied that "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 confirmed he is now working to reverse the motion.

Jonathan Bartley, who served as Green co-leader from 2016 to 2021, called on Polanski to "put his hands up" and "say sorry," though he too declined to demand his departure. Speaking on BBC Radio 4's World at One, Bartley described the episode as "a failure of leadership from Zack" and warned that "there is a certain toxicity now around the Green Party." He said the party's brand "needs to be detoxified," noting that an influx of new members, many from the left of the Labour Party, has changed the internal dynamics.

In his own defence, Polanski confirmed that he would not have voted for the "imperfect" motion had it not been amended. Yet he also stated that "the displacement and genocide of the Palestinian people is clearly underpinned by a racist ideology." His remarks echo several UN reports that have accused the Israeli government of committing war crimes amounting to genocide in Gaza, allegations Israel has repeatedly and categorically denied.

During a tense interview on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, presenter Nick Robinson pressed Polanski repeatedly on whether he believes Israel has a right to exist. Polanski avoided a direct yes-or-no answer, saying instead: "I don't believe any state has the right to oppress or to commit apartheid and certainly not genocide on another people." He added that "I don't believe that's a state that anyone should be supporting." When asked again for a straightforward response, he said he had "repeated many times" that he wants equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians and that Palestinians currently do not have equal rights.

Privately, many longstanding Green figures are said to be frustrated and accuse Polanski of being "missing in action" on the motion. They argue the situation is untenable: the leader of a party now disagrees with its official Middle East policy. One critic warned that Polanski "is in danger of losing the confidence of both wings," noting that even some supporters of the motion have been irritated by his refusal to publicly endorse it.

Despite the mounting criticism, Polanski's popularity among the grassroots may shield him from an immediate leadership challenge. He has cultivated a strong following among newer members, and no credible rival has yet emerged. Still, the episode has exposed raw divisions within a party that has spent years trying to present itself as a coherent alternative to Labour.

The by-election result itself offers a mixed picture. Labour's victory will reassure the governing party that it can still hold key urban seats, even as the Green vote surged. For the Greens, the 22-point increase in vote share suggests genuine progress in building a broader base, but the failure to convert that momentum into a seat won will sting. The party had invested heavily in the campaign, and Polanski's personal brand was central to its pitch to voters.

With the Zionism row refusing to fade and internal critics growing louder, Polanski faces the most testing period of his leadership. He has vowed to stay on, but the coming weeks will determine whether he can heal the rift within his party or whether the discontent will eventually force a fresh contest at the top. For now, the Green leader is betting that his grassroots support and the party's longer-term electoral gains will outweigh the anger directed at him from both sides of the debate.