The future of Green Party leader Zack Polanski hangs in the balance as Mirror readers are invited to vote in our latest poll following his defeat in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election. Mr Polanski insists he will not resign, but accepts it is now down to Green Party members to decide his fate.
By-election defeat in north London
Labour secured a convincing victory in the north London by-election overnight, with Camden Council leader Sagal Abdi-Wali winning Sir Keir Starmer's former seat. Ms Abdi-Wali, a former child refugee from Somalia, took 12,292 votes, beating Mr Polanski on 8,928.
Despite the damaging defeat, Mr Polanski refuses to quit. The odds on him being replaced as leader before the next general election have been slashed following the result.
Pressure mounts on the leader
The pressure is growing on the 43-year-old, with the chair of the Jewish Greens group calling for his immediate resignation. The results come as the Green Party is embroiled in a row over a motion at its conference declaring that "Zionism is racism".
Mr Polanski says he has no intention of standing down despite the by-election hammer blow, but he faces the biggest crisis of his leadership so far following Labour's success.
Asked if he had considered quitting, he said: "Of course I haven't. The Green Party when I became leader had about 60,000 members, we've now got 220,000. And as I said, the two best by-election results that we've ever had in Green Party history have both been under the current leadership."
Members to decide his future
However, he said it is now up to Green Party members to decide whether he continues as leader. Under the party's rules, Mr Polanski faces a scheduled leadership election next year, with his position being questioned following the controversy over the anti-Zionist conference motion and the failure to oust Labour in the by-election.
Asked how confident he was to be re-elected as leader, he told Sky News: "That's going to be up to the members and that's going to be up to the leadership election that happens next summer. What I'm experiencing, though, is an immense amount of people who are saying actually they've never been prouder to be a Green Party member."
Vivien Lichtenstein said Mr Polanski was guilty of a "dereliction of duty" after failing to vote on the controversial motion on Sunday. She said she is still weighing up whether to leave the party herself.
Asked if he should remain in charge, Ms Lichtenstein told Times Radio: "No, I think he should resign." Pressed on whether she was going to resign, she responded: "Yes, I'm certainly thinking about it, but I'm also discussing with senior members of the party and with colleagues."
Labour MPs criticise Greens
Labour MPs have attacked the Greens over their stance on Zionism in the wake of the overnight loss, with prominent backbencher Luke Akehurst saying: "Voters in Holborn and St Pancras decisively rejected the Greens, not least following their disgraceful 'Zionism is racism' motion."
Earlier, Green peer Jenny Jones said: "He's been elected for two years and so he has another year of his term to run. We don't do things in the Green Party the way that other political parties do. We don't depose leaders by gossip and criticism."
