Cllr
Zoë Garbett
AM
Garbett in 2023
Member of the London Assembly
for Londonwide
Incumbent
Assumed office
7 May 2024
Preceded by Siân Berry
Mayor of Hackney
Incumbent
Assumed office
11 May 2026
Preceded by Caroline Woodley
Hackney Borough Councillor
for Dalston ward
Incumbent
Assumed office
5 May 2022
Personal details
Born
Somerset, England[1]
Party Green Party of England and Wales

Zoë Garbett is a British politician who has served as a member of the London Assembly for the Green Party since May 2024 and Mayor of Hackney since 2026.

She was the Green candidate for mayor of London in the 2024 mayoral election. She was fourth on the Green Party's list for the London Assembly and was not elected; however, Siân Berry resigned to focus on her bid to get elected as an MP for Brighton Pavilion. This allowed Garbett to take her place.[2]

Garbett currently serves as Leader of the Green Party on Hackney London Borough Council, as well as the councillor for Dalston ward since May 2022. She ran for Mayor of Hackney in the 2023 by-election.[3]

Garbett was elected mayor of Hackney in the 2026 Hackney mayoral election,[4] making her one of the two first directly elected Green Party mayors in the party's history.

Early life

Garbett grew up in Taunton, Somerset.[5] She attended Richard Huish College.[6]

Political career

Garbett's official portrait on Hackney London Borough Council, c. 2024

In the 2022 UK local elections, Zoë Garbett contested both a seat in Hackney London Borough Council and for the directly-elected Mayor of Hackney.

In the 2022 Hackney London Borough Council election, Garbett was first elected as a councillor for Dalston ward, receiving 1,446 votes or 62.8% of the vote.[7] She was the first green councillor to be elected to the position.

In the 2022 Hackney mayoral election, she came in second place with 17% of the vote, behind the Labour Party candidate, Philip Glanville.[8]

Following Hackney mayor Philip Glanville's suspension from the Labour Party over a photograph showing him with a councillor subsequently convicted on paedophilia charges,[9] Garbett put forward a motion of no-confidence against Glanville, but it did not reach a debate of the full council.[10] Mayor Glanville resigned two weeks later, vacating the position on 22 September 2023 and triggering a mayoral by-election.[11]

Shortly after she was announced as the Green Party candidate in the 2023 Hackney mayoral election.[12][13] Garbett came second place with 24.5% of the vote, behind the Labour Party candidate.[14]

On 10 February 2023, she was announced as the Green Party candidate for the 2024 London mayoral election.[15] Garbett launched her London mayoral campaign manifesto on 8 April 2024, committing to abolishing fare zones to implementing a flat-fee for travel on the London Underground, Overground and Docklands Light Railway.[16][17] Garbett also campaigned on implementing rent controls, and establish a commission for reducing rents.[18][19] Garbett came fourth, with 145,114 votes, narrowly behind the Liberal Democrat candidate with 145,184 votes.[20]

In September 2024, Zoë Garbett was involved in the founding of the left-wing organisation Greens Organise.[21][22]

Zoë Garbett was elected mayor of Hackney in the May 2026 mayoral election,[23] winning 47.2% of the vote.[24] She will be amongst the Green Party's first ever directly-elected mayors, alongside with Liam Shrivastava.[25] The Green Party also gained control of Hackney council from Labour in the simultaneous 2026 Hackney London Borough Council election,[26] in which Garbett was re-elected as a councillor for Dalston ward,[27] however Garbett will vacate her seat in order to take up the mayoralty.[28]

Personal life

Garbett is queer.[29]

References

  1. ^ Dave Hill (27 February 2024). "Interview: Zoë Garbett, Green Party candidate for London Mayor". www.onlondon.co.uk.
  2. ^ "Greens' Sian Berry quits London Assembly just three days after re-election". Evening Standard. 7 May 2024. Archived from the original on 7 May 2024. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  3. ^ Franks, Josephine (16 June 2023). "Who is Zoë Garbett? The NHS worker and Green candidate vying to be London mayor". Sky News. Archived from the original on 19 June 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  4. ^ Hancock, Sam; Lee, Dulcie; Atkinson, Emily (8 May 2026). "Election results 2026 live: Follow the vote counts and reaction". BBC News. Archived from the original on 7 May 2026. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
  5. ^ Evans, Rhodri (23 March 2022). "Zoë Garbett: 'Now is the time for the Greens to move from opposition to shaping the policy of Hackney'". Hackney Post. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  6. ^ Leaman, Tom (10 April 2024). "Taunton's Zoë Garbett running to become Green London mayor". Somerset County Gazette. Retrieved 7 May 2024.(subscription required)
  7. ^ "Council election results". hackney.gov.uk. 21 July 2022. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  8. ^ "Mayoral election results". hackney.gov.uk. 21 July 2022. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  9. ^ Burford, Rachael; Kirk, Tristan (31 August 2023). "Hackney mayor suspended after photo of him at party with paedophile emerges". The Standard. Archived from the original on 4 March 2024. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
  10. ^ Rufo, Yasmin (8 September 2023). "Philip Glanville: Hackney mayor faces no-confidence motion". BBC News. Archived from the original on 8 December 2024. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  11. ^ Gregory, Julia (16 September 2023). "Hackney mayor resigns after photo with disgraced councillor". BBC News. Archived from the original on 8 March 2024. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  12. ^ Kelly, James W (14 October 2023). "Hackney mayoral by-election candidates announced". BBC News. Archived from the original on 17 July 2025. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  13. ^ Mendonça, Susana (4 November 2023). "Hackney mayor candidate campaigns underway as by-election looms". BBC News. Archived from the original on 17 July 2025. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  14. ^ "Mayoral election results". hackney.gov.uk. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
  15. ^ Kevin, Hand (10 February 2023). "Zoe Garbett: Green Party names London mayoral campaign candidate". BBC News. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  16. ^ "London mayoral elections: Zoe Garbett pledges flat Tube fare in Green manifesto". BBC News. 8 April 2024. Archived from the original on 22 April 2024.
  17. ^ "Sadiq Khan holds 19pt lead over Susan Hall with two weeks to go | YouGov". Archived from the original on 26 April 2024.
  18. ^ Lydall, Ross (26 January 2024). "London mayoral candidate calls for two-year rent freeze to calm housing market". The Standard. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
  19. ^ Rufo, Yasmin (19 April 2024). "Who is the Green Party's London mayoral candidate Zoe Garbett?". BBC News. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
  20. ^ "London Mayoral Election 2024: Results in full". The Independent. Archived from the original on 9 December 2024. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
  21. ^ Jarvis, Chris (8 September 2024). "Inside the launch of Greens Organise – the new left wing network in the Green Party". Left Foot Forward. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  22. ^ McGuirk, Siobhan (1 March 2025). "Party revitalisation? An interview with Greens Organise". Red Pepper. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
  23. ^ "Breaking: Greens Zoe Garbett wins Hackney mayoral contest – Hackney Citizen". Retrieved 8 May 2026.
  24. ^ "Hackney election result - Local Elections 2026". BBC News. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
  25. ^ O’Carroll, Lisa; Topping, Alexandra; Bharadia, Priya (8 May 2026). "Zack Polanski calls two-party politics dead after mayoral and council wins". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
  26. ^ O’Carroll, Lisa; Topping, Alexandra; Bharadia, Priya (8 May 2026). "Zack Polanski calls two-party politics dead after mayoral and council wins". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
  27. ^ "Local election results | Hackney Council". www.hackney.gov.uk. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
  28. ^ "New Hackney mayor's councillor seat vacated sparking by-election". Hackney Gazette. 8 May 2026. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
  29. ^ Garbett, Zoë (23 January 2023). "I want to tackle inequality across London". Bright Green. Archived from the original on 12 April 2024. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
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