Zack Polanski, a candidate for the Green Party leadership, has indicated he may be willing to cooperate with a new left-wing party being formed by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana. Polanski stressed that any decision on an alliance would ultimately be made by Green Party members and would depend on the structure of the as-yet-unnamed party, which does not officially exist yet.
His comments, made to the Guardian, highlight a divide with his leadership rivals, Adrian Ramsay and Ellie Chowns, who have warned against the Greens becoming 'a Jeremy Corbyn support act'. The new party, currently using the interim title 'Your Party', launched a website for people to register interest, prompting a left-wing campaign group, We Deserve Better, to call for a formal alliance with the Greens in England and Wales. The group argues that a united ticket could unseat dozens of Labour MPs, whereas separate campaigns could split the vote.
Polanski, the Greens' deputy leader, has built his leadership campaign around making the party a mass-membership 'eco-populism' organisation capable of challenging both Labour and Reform UK. He stated: 'I'm open to working with anyone who's up for challenging the far-right threat of Reform and this unpopular Labour government.' However, he added that any arrangement would be decided further down the line and by party members.
Given the Greens' decentralised structure, even if Polanski wins the leadership and seeks a pact, it would not necessarily happen. Ramsay and Chowns, both Green MPs representing rural constituencies where the main challengers were previously Conservatives, are likely to be less amenable to an association with Corbyn. Chowns noted that the new party's introductory statement gave 'only a passing glance to the climate crisis', while Ramsay emphasised the importance of the Greens maintaining their distinctive identity.
Voting for the Green Party leadership takes place throughout August, with the result announced on 2 September.
