Zack Polanski has said the UK should invest in defending against the climate crisis rather than listening to Donald Trump on security spending. The Green Party leader reiterated that the climate crisis is "the biggest threat to our national security since the Second World War."
Defence spending debate
Appearing at Iain Dale All Talk at the Edinburgh Fringe, Polanski was asked whether he agrees with increasing defence spending to 3% of GDP when there are "so many competing environmental needs." He said that if defence spending includes money for climate adaptation, such as dealing with floods and wildfires, then "we clearly need to up our spending."
He suggested this was more important than listening to President Trump, who has called for Nato allies to shoulder more of the burden of European defence. Polanski said: "If we're talking about spending 3.5% of our GDP on military spending to please Donald Trump, then I think there's an absolute incoherency in that."
Climate crisis 'right here, right now'
Polanski noted that the UK is already one of the fifth biggest spenders on military capacity, and argued that defence should be viewed "as a much more holistic issue." He said: "It's not some distant threat – it's right here, right now. We've had wildfires not far away from here, where we're talking in Edinburgh, and we know that what's happening right now is not the new normal."
He added: "This is the beginning of what will be the least extreme temperatures and least extreme weather in our lifetimes. It is going to get worse and worse and worse. And in many ways, it's a grim message. We can't stop some of that breakdown, what we can do, though, and it's important that people hear this, is we can stop total breakdown, and that feels beyond important to do, and that's where we should be investing right now, not on listening to what Donald Trump says or creating arbitrary numbers of GDP."
Leadership reflections and threats
Reflecting on his 11 months as leader, Polanski said the party's achievements so far are the "prologue," adding "we're not even at the beginning chapter." He said the party will "take on this Government" and "stop Reform in their tracks."
Asked what has surprised him, Polanski cited the level of fame and spoke of his concerns about threats he has received, some of which are being investigated by police. He mentioned the death of former MP Ann Widdecombe, who was found dead at her bungalow in Haytor on Dartmoor, Devon last month. Joshua Kerry, 28, was charged with her murder on July 20.
Polanski said: "That was the thing that surprised me, was you sign up to be a leader of a party, and you sign up to speak about the values, and you sign up for robust debate. You don't sign up – and I'm aware that Ann Widdecombe has already been in this conversation – you don't sign up to experience threats or to feel those threats. And I would never allow it to scare me to silence me, and I don't think it should ever silence anyone, no matter what their political view. It's also true to say it's unnerving and scary, and not what what me and my partner signed up for."
Labour response
Labour Party chairwoman Bridget Philipson said: "In an increasingly dangerous world, Labour is proud to be rebuilding Britain's armed forces and increasing defence spending to keep our country safe. We are also tackling the climate crisis head on. Our clean power mission is a national security mission, cutting our reliance on volatile fossil fuel markets while creating jobs and bringing bills down. If Zack Polanski wants to stop Reform, Labour has already shown how. We beat them in Makerfield and beat them again in the recent Greater Manchester mayoral by-election. It is Labour, not the Greens, that can defeat Reform and deliver for working people."
