Greens See Open Door in Hackney as Labour Faces London Election Crisis
Persistent rain failed to dampen the spirits of Green Party campaigners huddled beneath umbrellas on a Hackney high street, leaflets in hand, as they prepared for another round of door-knocking in what they believe is their most promising London battleground. With the high-stakes local elections approaching next month, the Greens are targeting the historically Labour-dominated borough of Hackney – home to party leader Zack Polanski – as their top priority in the capital.
Mayoral Candidate's Third Attempt Amid Changing Political Winds
Zoë Garbett, the Green Party's mayoral candidate for Hackney who is making her third attempt at the position after being defeated by Labour's Caroline Woodley in 2023, expressed cautious optimism about her chances. "I've been door-knocking in Dalston, where I've been a ward councillor for six or seven years now," Garbett told The Independent while walking between residences. "There's definitely people that we have down as Labour supporters or who are on the fence, who are definitely really supportive of us now. It feels like we're really pushing at an open door."
Garbett noted a significant shift in how voters perceive the Green Party, with residents engaging with them on broader issues beyond traditional environmental concerns. "There was a long period of time where you knock on doors and people would think you just want to talk about bins and buses," she explained. "We really care about those things, but we worry about so much more as well. The biggest change is that it really feels like people know who we are and what we're about."
National Context Fuels Local Discontent
The campaign unfolds against a backdrop of national political turbulence, with pollsters predicting what could be Labour's worst London election result in more than four decades. London's Labour mayor Sir Sadiq Khan has warned his party faces being "stonked" in the May elections, while new polling data suggests significant voter disillusionment with Sir Keir Starmer's government.
"There's also the wider kind of global and national context around what's been happening with the Labour government," Garbett observed, "and people feeling like it's not bringing the change that they promised or that it's a party that's moved away from their values." She identified several key issues resonating with Hackney voters, including Gaza, housing, disability support and immigration – topics she says voters are increasingly associating with the Green Party platform.
Immigration Policies Prove Pivotal on Doorsteps
Labour's immigration policies have emerged as a particular flashpoint in Hackney, according to campaigners. "The 'island of strangers' speech was a real turning point on the doorstep I found," Garbett said after speaking with a resident who described himself as "disgusted" by Labour's approach. The government's proposals would make Britain's asylum rules among the toughest in Europe, including doubling the time required for indefinite leave to remain from five to ten years.
Former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner has echoed these concerns, describing the reforms as "un-British" and warning they represent a "breach of trust" toward settled migrants. Garbett noted that Labour's indefinite leave to remain policy "has caused a lot of anxiety" among residents she encounters during campaigning.
Pollster Warns of Labour's London Unraveling
Chris Annous, a pollster with the think tank More in Common, provided stark analysis of the political landscape. "I can't stress how disappointed and disillusioned people are with the Labour government," he stated. "People are so disappointed, and so desperate for change, and they feel like Labour aren't representing that in many parts of London. It means that there is a real opportunity for quite significant volatility when it comes to voters."
Annous predicted the Green Party was particularly well-positioned to gain ground in inner London boroughs including Lambeth, Camden, Islington, Hackney, Newham, Lewisham and potentially parts of Greenwich. "I think it could be a very bad night for Labour in London," he warned, suggesting Labour could lose majorities or control entirely in several councils. "[With Labour], we're talking about complete dominance in parts of London, which I think is going to unravel extensively."
Green Momentum Builds Nationally and Locally
The Hackney campaign occurs amid broader Green Party momentum, with the Greens having leapfrogged Labour in national polls and securing a landmark by-election victory in Gorton and Denton earlier this year. Polanski declared following that win that his party "could win anywhere," casting doubts about Sir Keir Starmer's continued leadership.
Garbett pointed to Polanski's election as Greens leader in September as a "real acceleration point" for the party, with data showing a more than 300 percent increase in local members between January 2025 and 2026. "I think people have just been suffering for quite a long time and want an alternative and want to try something different," she reflected, "and that's people who are really feeling the pressures of the cost of living and growing inequality."
As London faces the dual threat of Green advances on the left and Nigel Farage's Reform on the right, the traditionally red borough councils may be facing their most significant challenge in generations. With May 7 looming, both parties are preparing for what pollsters warn could indeed prove "a very bad night for Labour" in the capital.
