Green Party leader Zack Polanski's dramatic rise and subsequent fall offers a stark warning to new Labour leader Andy Burnham. Polanski, who swept to the leadership with 84% of the vote in September 2025, saw party membership more than triple from 68,000 to 230,000, mirroring the surge experienced by Jeremy Corbyn when he became Labour leader.
Controversies and backlash
Polanski has faced repeated criticism, including mockery as the "breast whisperer" after claiming he could enlarge women's breasts through affordable hypnotherapy. His troubles deepened when he criticised unarmed police officers during the Golders Green terror attack in April. Most recently, he shared an image of a man wearing a black T-shirt reading "We're only making plans for Nigel" alongside a guillotine, prompting Reform UK to accuse him of inciting violence against Nigel Farage. Polanski deleted the post but did not apologise, instead liking online posts suggesting his right-wing rivals support Adolf Hitler.
Comparison with Burnham
Polanski secured the Green leadership with votes from just 20,411 party members, while Burnham won the Makerfield by-election with 24,000 votes. The left now has two charismatic leaders with a combined mandate of less than 45,000. Burnham, a more experienced politician, has avoided many of the traps that tripped Polanski, but popularity can be fleeting, as Keir Starmer discovered. The article warns that Burnham should pay attention to Polanski's trajectory, as political highs often lead to eventual falls.
