The leader of the Green Party in England and Wales, Zack Polanski, has said he would vote for Scottish independence if he were Scottish, claiming Scotland has been “screwed over by Westminster governments” for a long time. He made the comments during a campaign visit to Scotland ahead of the Holyrood elections on 7 May.
Mr Polanski also criticised UK Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who recently said the UK Government would refuse a second independence referendum even if the SNP wins a majority at Holyrood. “Who the hell does Wes Streeting think he is?” Mr Polanski asked, accusing the Labour minister of treating Scots “like you were children”. He insisted a fresh vote on the future of the United Kingdom should be allowed, adding: “If I was Scottish I would vote for independence.”
The Green leader said the UK Government “keeping” Scotland in the Union against its will was “not good for Scotland”. He argued that everyone should have the right to decide how their country is governed.
Mr Polanski linked the “Green surge” in Scotland to a “toxic combination” of low wages and high prices in the cost-of-living crisis, as well as a sense that Scotland has been badly treated by Westminster. He said Green Party membership in England and Wales has reached 225,000 since he became leader in September 2025, including a “huge surge” of disillusioned Labour members. The Scottish Greens now have more than 10,000 members.
He likened the “eco-socialism” of the Greens to the success of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, saying such political movements were “happening all over the world”. At an event in Glasgow hosted by podcaster Sean McDonald, he said Scottish Greens had been “speaking with authentic, courageous voices, speaking truth to power”.
Councillor Holly Bruce, the Scottish Green candidate for the Glasgow Southside constituency formerly held by Nicola Sturgeon, agreed there had been a “Green surge” in Scotland, but said it followed “many years of dedicated activism” that could result in the party winning its first constituency seat in the south side of Glasgow.
