The leader of the United Kingdom’s Green Party has announced his intentions to run for the seat in Parliament vacated by former Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Zack Polanski, leader of the Greens, has led his hard-left party to wild success in the polls as a more extreme and ideologically unorthodox alternative to the mainstream Labour Party. Now, he is seeking to capture Starmer’s seat in the Labour stronghold of Holborn and St Pancras.
“I have lived and worked in this community over many years, I know it well, and I love it,” he told the Camden New Journal on Thursday. “It represents so many of the things that make London so special. I am so excited by the prospect of representing this place in Parliament.”
“We know that the Greens can win here, and by electing me, voters will have someone who will always fight their corner – never scared of big donors or the party whip,” he continued. “Too often, Labour has stood up for corporations and big money. I will stand up for people struggling to pay their bills.”
Starmer is leaving his seat early after stepping down as prime minister, going back on his promise to finish out his term in Parliament.
This by-election could prove treacherous if the Green Party is able to run a successful campaign. Holborn and St Pancras has been a Labour stronghold since 1983, and an upset would shake the unsteady foundation the party has found since elevating Prime Minister Andy Burnham as leader.
The Greens thrashed Labour in May when they scooped up local election wins in several major Labour strongholds. Starmer, who was suffering unprecedented unpopularity in polls, was a major liability at the time.
The former prime minister began aggressively pushing back on the Greens early this year after they upset Labour in Gorton and Denton via a confederation of special interest groups beyond their usual environmentalist contingency — in particular, the approximately 30% of voters in the constituency who are Muslim.
They have run campaign ads and posted materials in foreign languages including Urdu, Bangla, and Arabic.
Anti-Israel rhetoric has become a central pillar of Green campaigns, and multiple members have been arrested and charged with antisemitic speech. The party has also drawn criticism for embracing extreme policies such as the total legalization of drug use and prostitution.
Labour is reportedly weighing Sagal Abdi-Wali, leader of the Camden council, as its candidate to replace Starmer in Holborn and St Pancras.
Abdi-Wali is a Somali refugee raised in the U.K. after her parents brought her over in the 1990s. Appointed to lead the council in May after local elections, she promised to “work day and night to fight for social justice and to deliver meaningful change.”