UK Greens elect 'eco-populist' leader, first Muslim deputy

Britain's Green Party elected a self-styled "eco-populist" as its new leader on Tuesday, as it seeks to gain traction by exploiting dissatisfaction with the Labour government among left-wing voters.

Zack Polanski, a former actor, wants to make the Greens as noisy on the left as Nigel Farage's anti-immigrant Reform UK party is on the right, at a time when British politics is fracturing into a multi-party system.

"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," he told supporters in central London after being elected.

Polanski, who does not sit in the UK parliament, was seen as the more radical candidate compared to his defeated opponents, MPs Ellie Chowns and Adrian Ramsay, who had stressed continuity.

Chowns and Ramsay said the party needed to appeal to a wide audience but Polanski's election means the Greens will shift further to the left, where they will find competition from former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Polanski's pugnacious approach and savvy social media campaign saw him win more than 20,400 votes compared to just 3,700 for the joint ticket.

The Greens increased their number of MPs from one to four in the 650-seat parliament at last year's general election, which ousted the Conservatives and propelled Labour's Keir Starmer to the premiership.

The party has the same number as Reform but has not been able to gain the same purchase as Farage, who taps into discontent over irregular immigration, now the issue that surveys say most concerns Britons.

"We should never ape the politics of Nigel Farage and Reform. But what Nigel Farage has demonstrated is bold communications that can cut through," Polanski told reporters.

The 42-year-old added he "also" wants to "stop the boats", echoing Farage's number-one pledge to halt asylum seekers crossing the Channel from northern France in rudimentary vessels.

'Left-wing populism'

"We can stop the boats today with safe and legal routes (for asylum seekers)," Polanski said.

Meanwhile, Mothin Ali, the Leeds councillor noted for his role during the 2024 Harehills riots, in which protesters clashed with authorities after police assisted social workers in taking four children into emergency foster care, has been elected co-deputy leader of the Green Party.

Working alongside his joint co-deputy leader Rachel Millward, Ali's appointment makes him the only Muslim serving as a leader or deputy leader of a mainstream political party in England and Wales.

At the announcement, Ali thanked staff and supporters.

“This is a huge honour,” he said. “As a Muslim, we have this concept of amanah — trust — and this is that people who have voted for me have put in me.”

He warned that the country’s politics stood on a “precipice.”

“There’s a huge rise in the far right. Minority communities, whether it’s Muslims, immigrants, or the LGBT community, are being targeted. Our fight is one. We’ve got to come together and make sure we’re ready to challenge Reform and the far right.”

The Greens advocate higher taxes for the super wealthy, the nationalisation of key industries including water, and has recognised Israel's military actions in Gaza as a "genocide".

It hopes to steal away voters angry at Labour's continuation of a child benefits cap, its moves to reform the welfare system and its roll-back of some environmental pledges.

But a new party recently launched by Corbyn threatens to split votes on the left.

"There's definitely space in the UK for some sort of left-wing populism," said Chris Hopkins, director of polling firm Savanta.

"(But) they almost certainly will harm each other or, at the very least, put a cap on the other's potential," he told news agency AFP.

Polanski, a member of the London Assembly whose role is to hold the capital's mayor accountable, has repeatedly apologised for a 2013 article in the tabloid The Sun in which the then-hypnotherapist promised to use the power of the mind to try to enlarge a female client's breasts.

Unlike other parties, the Greens normally hold leadership elections every two years, meaning Polanski may not lead the party into the next general election, expected in 2029.