Zack Polanski

Zack Polanski

AM
Polanski in 2022
Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales
Assumed office
2 September 2025
DeputyMothin Ali
Rachel Millward
Preceded byAdrian Ramsay
Carla Denyer
Deputy Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales
In office
7 September 2022 – 2 September 2025
LeaderAdrian Ramsay
Carla Denyer
Preceded byAmelia Womack
Succeeded byRachel Millward
Mothin Ali
Member of the London Assembly
for Londonwide
Assumed office
6 May 2021
Personal details
Born
David Paulden

(1982-11-02) 2 November 1982 (age 43)
Salford, Greater Manchester, England
Political partyGreen Party of England and Wales (since 2017)
Other political
affiliations		Liberal Democrats
(2015–2017)
Domestic partnerRichie Bryan
EducationStockport Grammar School
Ridge Danyers College
Alma materAberystwyth University (BA)

Zack Polanski (born David Paulden; 2 November 1982) is a British politician who has been the Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales since September 2025. He has been a member of the London Assembly (AM) since May 2021. Polanski was the Deputy Leader of the Greens from 2022 to 2025. After being elected as party leader, the party saw a massive increase in membership.

Polanski was born on 2 November 1982 in Salford, Greater Manchester, where he also grew up.

Polanski has said his political views are eco-populist. Under his leadership, the Greens have made some improvements, including Hannah Spencer's victory in the 2026 Gorton and Denton by-election.

Polanski said that he wants to run in the next general election in a constituency near his home in North London.

On 3 September 2026, Polanski announced his plans to run in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election after former Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, resigned his seat. He lost the election on 8 October to Labour candidate Sagal Abdi-Wali.

Polanski is Jewish, gay and vegan.

References

  1. ↑ Wheeler, Brian (2 September 2025). "Zack Polanski elected leader of the Green Party". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2 September 2025. Retrieved 2 September 2025. Thousands of new members joined the party during the leadership campaign, taking its membership to 68,500.
  2. ↑ Polanski, Zack [@ZackPolanski] (November 2, 2022). "Thanks Carla! 💚 Fun fact : I'm 40 today and so is @Channel4. Born on the same day - happy birthday C4!" (Tweet). Retrieved 2 July 2023 – via Twitter.
  3. ↑ Williams, Zoe (13 May 2025). "'I thought politics was a dirty thing' – Zack Polanski on his 'eco-populist' vision for the Green party". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  4. ↑ McKiernan, Jennifer (27 February 2026). "Zack Polanski's unusual path to becoming Green Party leader". BBC News. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
  5. ↑ Kenyon, Megan (1 October 2025). "Zack Polanski: "We absolutely need to stop the boats"". New Statesman. Retrieved 19 October 2025.
  6. ↑ Cooke, Millie (2026-02-27). "Gorton and Denton result live: Hannah Spencer wins by-election for Greens as Starmer's Labour plunged into crisis". The Independent. Retrieved 2026-02-27.
  7. ↑ Eastlake, Daisy (2026-02-17). "Zack Polanski eyes Lammy, Abbott or Creasy's seat at general election". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 2026-02-18.
  8. ↑ Nicholson, Kate (2026-02-25). "Exclusive: Zack Polanski Says He Would Not Stand Against 'Wonderful' Diane Abbott". HuffPost UK. Retrieved 2026-02-26.
  9. ↑ Alencar, Maurício (2026-09-03). "Zack Polanski to stand in by-election after Starmer resigned". City AM. Retrieved 2026-09-03.
  10. ↑ Horton, Helena (29 April 2025). "'It's an existential moment': Greens take on Reform in fight for fed-up voters". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
  11. ↑ Polanski, Zack (14 May 2021). "The reality is that London is a green and red city now". Huck Mag. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  12. ↑ Flores, Shaun (4 January 2021). "Gay, Jewish and Vegan: In Conversation with Green Party Politican [sic] Zack Polanski". Flower Hour. Retrieved 24 June 2021.

Other websites

Media related to Zack Polanski at Wikimedia Commons