Green Party leader Zack Polanski faces growing questions over his future after a bruising defeat in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, where Labour held on by more than 3,000 votes.
Labour holds on in Holborn and St Pancras
The result was announced just after 3am at Camden Council’s offices. Labour’s candidate Sagal Abdi-Wali, a Somali refugee and leader of Camden Council, held the north London constituency by more than 3,000 votes in the early electoral test for new Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
Mr Polanski took a gamble by standing in the by-election in Sir Keir Starmer’s old seat, and it is one that has backfired.
Greens’ recent success reversed
Just months ago, the Greens were surging in national opinion polls under Mr Polanski’s leadership and even overtook Labour at one point. They pulled off a sensational win in the Gorton and Denton by-election and had record-breaking results in the local elections.
But the party has gone into meltdown in a row over a Gaza debate at their conference, declaring that “Zionism is racism”, which Mr Polanski missed. The Green leader also sparked a furious backlash in May after sharing a social media post criticising the police’s response to the Golders Green attack, which he later apologised for.
Poll shows low approval rating
A dire poll on the eve of the by-election showed that he is the least popular major UK party leader with a net approval rating of minus 28.
Splits have emerged between traditional members who worry the Greens are moving away from their environmental message and newer Left-wing recruits who joined under Mr Polanski. Voters on the Left have also been returning to Labour under Mr Burnham.
Mr Polanski will now face growing questions over his future as Green Party leader after this humiliating by-election defeat.
