Who is Zack Polanski? The 'eco-populist' new leader of the Green Party

Zack Polanski has been decisively elected leader of the Green Party, but who is he and what does he stand for? Despite previously serving as deputy leader of the party, Mr Polanski, 42, was seen throughout the campaign as an insurgent candidate, offering change for the Greens.

By comparison, his leadership rivals Adrian Ramsay and Dr Ellie Chowns were seen as being the candidates of continuity, rather than change. Politics latest - follow live updates Mr Polanski, who is not an MP but is a member of the London Assembly, won 20,411 votes - compared to the 3,705 ballots cast for Mr Ramsay and Dr Chowns, who ran on a joint ticket.

It means his vision of creating an "eco-populist" Green Party, with a more visible mass-membership movement, has been decisively endorsed by those who voted - albeit if this was only 37% of those eligible to cast a ballot. So, who is Zack Polanski? Born David Paulden, he changed his name when he turned 18 to his grandfather's original surname.

He grew up in Salford, initially attending a grammar school on a scholarship before switching to a comprehensive college. Mr Polanski then attended university in Wales and later in the United States.

The Green Party leader is gay and thanked his partner following his victory. He is also vegan and lives in Hackney, east London.

His political career began not with the Green Party, but with the Liberal Democrats, which he joined first, standing for the party as a councillor in north London in 2015 and again for the Lib Dems as a London Assembly candidate in 2016. But he switched allegiance the following year, joining the Greens and being elected a member of the London Assembly in 2021, after an unsuccessful attempt to be elected as an MP in 2019.

Mr Polanski was then elected deputy leader of the Green Party in 2022. While deputy leader, he was also re-elected back to the London Assembly in 2024 and became chair of the London Assembly environment committee.

But Mr Polanski's rise to the top of the Greens is not without controversy. In 2013, he ran a hypnotherapy practice and served a Sun journalist who went in as a client, asking him whether he could make her think herself to having bigger boobs.

Mr Polanski has since apologised for his past actions, telling LBC last year that it "does not represent my work, it does not represent me". He announced he would run to be leader of the Green Party in the 2025 contest, which was delayed by a year so as not to clash with the 2024 general election.

Members of the party are asked to vote on the leaders every two years. What does he stand for? Mr Polanski pledged to bring about an "eco-populist" vision if elected, transforming the party into a more visible, mass-membership movement.

He said people cannot focus on the climate crisis if they are facing challenging economic concerns, so he has advocated for high taxes on billionaires - including a wealth tax - as well as the renationalisation of water companies and more regulation for businesses. At a hustings in July, he argued that the party should combine "substance with clickbait" to bring a serious challenge to Reform UK.

He has outlined a vision for the Greens to appeal to progressive left voters who feel that Labour has turned away from them under Sir Keir Starmer's leadership. Unlike his leadership rivals, Mr Polanski has also refused to rule out working with the new political party founded by former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and ex-Labour MP Zarah Sultana.

Speaking following his election, Mr Polanski promised to "work every single day to deliver environmental, social, racial and economic justice". He also pledged to grow the party, saying he would like the Greens to win at least 30 seats at the next general election, as well as get more MSs elected to the Senedd in Cardiff.

Mr Polanski hit out at "charlatans like Nigel Farage.