The Green Party achieved a landmark victory in the early hours of Friday as Zoë Garbett was elected as the first directly elected mayor in the party’s history, winning the Hackney mayoral contest. The result was met with whoops of delight and tears among party activists, marking a significant breakthrough for the Greens in local government.
In her acceptance speech, Garbett declared that voters across London and the country are ‘desperate for an alternative to this failing Labour government’. She framed the win as part of a broader movement of hope against a system of fear, emphasizing that the choice is not between old and new parties but between fear and hope.
Zack Polanski, the Green Party leader in England and Wales, called the victory historic and proclaimed that two-party politics is ‘dead and buried’. He argued that the new political landscape is now defined by a contest between the Green Party and Reform UK, signalling a fundamental shift in British politics.
The win comes amid a turbulent night for Labour, which suffered heavy losses to Reform UK in council elections across England. The Greens’ success in Hackney stands out as a rare bright spot for progressive parties, alongside Liberal Democrat gains in Portsmouth, Stockport, and parts of London.
