Zack Polanski faces leadership crisis after Green Party motion

The by-election in the north London constituency of Holborn and St Pancras concluded with Labour candidate Sagal Abdi-Wali securing victory. She made history as Sir Keir Starmer's successor, having arrived in the UK as a child refugee from Somalia in the 1990s, grown up locally in Camden, and become council leader in May before taking Westminster.

Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event

However, outside Camden Council offices in the early hours, the media pack's focus was fixed firmly on Zack Polanski, leader of the Green Party of England and Wales. Although the Greens performed strongly in London's local elections in May and achieved their second-best Westminster by-election result in history, attention was entirely dominated by events from the previous weekend.

During the Green Party conference in Brighton, activists passed a contentious motion declaring Zionism to be a form of racism. Polanski, who is Jewish and banned from Israel, did not participate in the vote because he chose to campaign in the by-election instead, maintaining a period of silence that drew heavy scrutiny.

Party membership has tripled over the past year, with internal critics noting an influx of hard-left campaigners focused on Middle East geopolitics rather than core environmental issues. The motion has sparked severe backlash from the Jewish Leadership Council, the Board of Deputies of British Jews, and sister Green parties across Europe.

Pressure escalated further when former party leader Caroline Lucas told BBC Newsnight that Polanski had failed to demonstrate leadership over the crisis and declined to back his continuation as leader.