Zack Polanski
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Zack Polanski, born David Paulden on November 2nd, 1982, is a British politician who has held the esteemed position of Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales since September 2025. He stepped into this role, succeeding the joint leadership of Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay, and has been a dedicated member of the London Assembly since May 2021. Prior to his ascent to leadership, Polanski served as the Deputy Leader of the Greens from 2022 to 2025.
Polanski articulates his political philosophy as eco-populist, drawing a clear connection between pressing issues like the soaring cost of living and the escalating climate crisis, both of which he attributes to the influence of the wealthy.
Born David Paulden in Salford, Greater Manchester, to a Jewish family who had emigrated from Eastern Europe in the early 20th century, he took on the surname Paulden in a bid to escape antisemitism. At the age of 18, he reclaimed his familial name, Polanski, later emphasizing the importance of finding pride, not shame, in his identity. His first name was also changed to Zack, a tribute to a Jewish character from the novel "Goodnight Mister Tom" and a way to distinguish himself from his stepfather, also named David. His parents' divorce at a young age shaped his early life.
Polanski's formative years were spent in Salford. He attended the fee-paying Stockport Grammar School on a scholarship before moving to Cheadle and Marple Sixth Form College, then known as Ridge Danyers College. He pursued higher education at Aberystwyth University and later honed his craft at a drama school in Georgia, United States. Upon graduating in the mid-2000s, he relocated to London.
His creative journey included work with the theatre company DifferencENGINE, where he starred in immersive theatre productions such as "The Hollow Hotel" and "The People's Revolt" at the Tower of London, as well as the "Peaky Blinders" immersive experience. He also shared his expertise as a teacher at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts and the National Centre for Circus Arts, and lent his voice to the London International Gospel Choir.
Polanski also practiced as a hypnotherapist. In 2013, a journalist from The Sun sought his services for an article, requesting a session to enhance her breast size and body image self-confidence. Polanski was featured in the resulting publication. He stated that he did not charge for the session and felt the article misrepresented the situation, for which he apologized.
His political journey began with the Liberal Democrats. He stood as a Liberal Democrat council candidate for St Pancras and Somers Town in a 2015 by-election for Camden London Borough Council. He also ran in the Barnet and Camden constituency and was fifth on the London-wide list for the party in the 2016 London Assembly election. In June 2016, he famously heckled Jeremy Corbyn at a Momentum rally, challenging his stance on the EU.
Polanski departed the Liberal Democrats in 2017 to join the Green Party. He represented them as a candidate in the Cities of London and Westminster parliamentary constituency during the 2019 general election, securing fourth place out of six candidates with 1.7% of the vote. Before his election to the London Assembly, he served as treasurer for the Jewish Greens.
In 2018, Polanski shared an alleged overheard conversation on Twitter involving then Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Liz Truss. He claimed Truss had criticized colleagues, asserting the public deserved to know the discrepancy between her public and private remarks. He actively participated in Extinction Rebellion protests and was arrested during a demonstration in April 2019.
On May 6th, 2021, Polanski was elected as a Member of the London Assembly, having been third on the Green Party's London-wide list. He also contested the West Central constituency, finishing third, and the Churchill by-election for Westminster City Council, coming in fourth on the same day. Within the new Assembly, Polanski was appointed Chair of the Environment Committee and served on the Committee for Fire, Resilience and Emergency Planning and the Economy Committee.
In December 2021, Polanski successfully proposed a motion in the London Assembly to back the Climate and Ecological Emergency bill, a cross-party initiative with support from Labour and the Liberal Democrats. In 2021, he also held the national spokesperson role for democracy and citizen engagement for the Green Party.
On June 6th, 2022, Polanski declared his candidacy for the 2022 Green Party of England and Wales deputy leadership election. The Wales Green Party endorsed his bid for deputy leader. On September 7th, 2022, he was elected Deputy Leader, succeeding Amelia Womack.
Polanski drew parallels between the cost-of-living crisis and the climate crisis, placing workers' rights at the core of his agenda. He asserted, "A higher wage economy is a green economy, and the Green party will always stand side by side with people who face economic, social and environmental struggles."
In May 2024, Polanski was re-elected to the London Assembly and, in June 2024, retained his position as Chair of the London Assembly Environment Committee. During the 2024 United Kingdom general election campaign, The Guardian lauded Polanski as a "fluent media performer."
In January 2025, Polanski insisted on diverse representation, refusing to proceed with an all-male panel for London's Environment Committee. The Conservatives walked out of the meeting, labeling Polanski's actions as "left wing identity politics."
In May 2025, Polanski announced his candidacy for the 2025 Green Party of England and Wales leadership election. In his announcement, he stressed the party's need to challenge Reform UK's narrative and capitalize on political disillusionment with the Labour Party. Later that week, Owen Jones endorsed Polanski in The Guardian. However, senior Green Party figures, including Caroline Lucas, backed his opponents. Polanski has declared that under his leadership, the party will prioritize "redistributing wealth, funding public services, and calling out the genocide in Gaza." He consistently links environmental, social, racial, and economic justice.
On September 2nd, 2025, Polanski was elected leader of the Green Party in a decisive victory, securing 85% of the vote. He succeeded Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay, defeating a rival bid from MPs Ramsay and Ellie Chowns. The Green Party experienced a significant surge in membership, rising by at least 8% between May and July 2025, coinciding with Polanski's leadership bid, a phenomenon some have termed a "Polanski surge." Novara Media reported the party had at least 65,000 members, nearing its 2015 peak of 67,000. Following the leadership election results, the party confirmed its membership at 68,500. By September 19th, membership surpassed 75,000, following internal disputes within the newly formed Your Party, and reached a historic record of 80,000 by September 28th.
In his inaugural speech as leader, Polanski declared the Green Party's ambition to supplant the Labour Party and expressed eagerness to collaborate with those critical of both the Labour Party and fascism. He also stated he could not envision supporting a coalition government led by Keir Starmer. His primary objective is to see the Wales Green Party secure its first Member of the Senedd in the next election. In his initial days as leader, he launched his weekly podcast, "Bold Politics with Zack Polanski," which climbed to fourth place in the UK news podcast charts by September 8th. He also visited Nigel Farage's parliamentary seat in Clacton to engage with constituents.
On September 30th, Polanski was recognized in Time Magazine's 2025 100 Next list, highlighting the world's 100 most influential rising stars. On October 3rd, he delivered his first annual party conference address in Bournemouth, advocating for a wealth tax, an end to arms sales to Israel, and criticizing other parties for their attacks on civil liberties and immigrants. In a subsequent interview with the Byline Times, he revealed his intention to contest a parliamentary seat in the next general election.
Polanski defines his political stance as eco-populist, blending environmentalism with populist appeal. He argues that individuals struggling with daily necessities like high rents, food, and heating costs cannot effectively engage with the climate crisis. Beyond green politics, Polanski champions increased taxes on billionaires, the renationalization of water companies, greater government support for net-zero policies, and enhanced regulation of private corporations. He also supports the introduction of a wealth tax, believing it to be a fairer system than one focused solely on earned income.
Polanski firmly believes the Gaza war constitutes a genocide and advocates for the UK government to treat it as such.
He expresses criticism of the UK's relationship with the United States and NATO, advocating for the UK's eventual withdrawal from the alliance. Polanski views the UK's NATO membership as unsustainable in the long term, citing Donald Trump's threats regarding Greenland and NATO's prioritization of militarism over diplomacy. He suggests that establishing organizations focused on European defense, democracy, diplomacy, and international peace would pave the way for the UK's departure from NATO.
Polanski is openly gay and vegan. He resides in the London Borough of Hackney with his partner, Richie Bryan, who works in palliative care.
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Zack Polanski (born David Paulden; 2 November 1982) is a British politician who has been the Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales since September 2025, succeeding the joint leadership of Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay, and a member of the London Assembly (AM) since May 2021. Before being elected leader, Polanski was previously the Deputy Leader of the Greens from 2022 to 2025.
Polanski describes his political views as eco-populist, linking broad issues like high costs of living and the climate crisis as both being caused by the wealthy.
== Early life ==
Zack Polanski was born David Paulden on 2 November 1982 in Salford, Greater Manchester, to a Jewish family who had moved to the UK from Eastern Europe in the early twentieth century and had adopted the surname of Paulden in hopes of evading antisemitism. At age 18 he changed his name, restoring his familial name of Polanski, later saying it was important for him to find pride, not shame, in his identity. He also changed his first name, selecting Zack in homage to a Jewish character from the novel Goodnight Mister Tom, and to differentiate himself from his stepfather, also named David.
His parents divorced when he was young.
Polanski grew up in Salford and attended the fee-paying Stockport Grammar School on a scholarship before moving to Cheadle and Marple Sixth Form College, which was known at that time as Ridge Danyers College. He studied at Aberystwyth University and later attended a drama school in Georgia in the United States. He moved to London in the mid-00s on graduation.
Polanski worked with the theatre company DifferencENGINE as an immersive theatre actor, including appearances in The Hollow Hotel, The People's Revolt (in the Tower of London) and in the Peaky Blinders immersive theatre experience. He taught at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts and the National Centre for Circus Arts. Polanski also sang for the London International Gospel Choir.
Polanski also worked as a hypnotherapist. In 2013, a journalist for The Sun requested a hypnotherapy session to increase her breast size and body image self-confidence for an article in the paper. Polanski featured in the published article. Polanski said that he did not charge for the session, that the article did not accurately reflect the situation and apologised for his involvement.
== In politics ==
=== Before leading the Green Party ===
Polanski was active in the Liberal Democrats. He stood as a Liberal Democrat council candidate for St Pancras and Somers Town in a 2015 by-election to Camden London Borough Council. He stood in the Barnet and Camden constituency and was fifth on the London-wide list for the party in the 2016 London Assembly election. In June 2016, he heckled Jeremy Corbyn at a Momentum rally owing to Corbyn's stance on the EU.
Polanski left the Liberal Democrats and joined the Green Party in 2017. He stood as the Green candidate in the Cities of London and Westminster parliamentary constituency at the 2019 general election and finished in fourth place of six candidates, with 1.7%. Before his election to the London Assembly, he became treasurer of the Jewish Greens.
In 2018, Polanski wrote on Twitter about an alleged conversation that he overheard in a restaurant, involving the then chief secretary to the Treasury, Liz Truss. According to Polanski, Truss criticised several of her colleagues and he said that the public deserved to know that she spoke differently in public compared to private. He took part in Extinction Rebellion protests and was arrested at a protest in April 2019.
On 6 May 2021, Polanski was elected a Member of the London Assembly, having been third on the Green Party's London-wide list. He also stood in the West Central constituency, where he came third, and for the Churchill by-election to Westminster City Council, where he came fourth on the same day. In the new Assembly, Polanski was elected to be the chair of the Environment committee and to be on the Committee for Fire, Resilience and Emergency Planning and the Economy Committee.
In December 2021, Polanski proposed a successful motion in the London Assembly backing the Climate and Ecological Emergency bill. It was a cross-party motion with Labour and Liberal Democrat support. In 2021 he was also the Green Party's national spokesperson for democracy and citizen engagement.
On 6 June 2022, Polanski announced his candidacy in the 2022 Green Party of England and Wales deputy leadership election. The Wales Green Party gave their endorsement of his candidacy for deputy leader. On 7 September 2022, he was elected Deputy Leader, succeeding Amelia Womack.
Polanski linked the cost-of-living crisis and the climate crisis, putting workers' rights at the heart of his platform. Polanski stated, "A higher wage economy is a green economy, and the Green party will always stand side by side with people who face economic, social and environmental struggles."
In May 2024, Polanski was re-elected to the London Assembly and, in June 2024, re-elected as Chair of the London Assembly Environment Committee. During the 2024 United Kingdom general election campaign, The Guardian praised Polanski for being a "fluent media performer".
In January 2025, Polanski refused to have an all-male panel in London's Environment Committee insisting on a diversity of speakers. The Conservatives walked out of the meeting calling Polanski's actions "left wing identity politics".
In May 2025, Polanski announced his candidacy for the 2025 Green Party of England and Wales leadership election. In his announcement, he said that the Greens needed to be able to challenge Reform UK's political narrative and to take advantage of political disillusionment with the Labour Party. Later that week, Owen Jones endorsed Polanski in The Guardian. Senior members of the Green Party, including Caroline Lucas, endorsed Polanski's opponents. Polanski has stated that, under his leadership, the party will focus on "redistributing wealth, funding public services, and calling out the genocide in Gaza". Polanski repeatedly links environmental, social, racial and economic justice.
=== Leader of the Green Party ===
On 2 September 2025, Polanski was elected as leader of the Green Party in a landslide, with 85% of the vote share, succeeding Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay in that position and beating a rival bid from MPs Ramsay and Ellie Chowns. The Green Party saw its membership rise by at least 8% from May to July 2025, when Polanski launched his leadership bid, in what some have described as a "Polanski surge". Novara Media claimed that the party has at least 65,000 members, slightly behind its 2015 peak of 67,000. The party confirmed its membership figures to be 68,500 following the announcement of leadership election results. Membership rose to over 75,000 by 19 September following the emergence of in-fighting within the recently announced Your Party and 80,000 by 28 September, a historic record for the Green Party.
In his first speech as leader, Polanski said the Green Party aims to replace the Labour Party, and expressed enthusiasm for working with others who were critical both of the Labour Party and of fascism. Polanski also said he could not imagine supporting a coalition government led by Keir Starmer. He has said his top priority is the Wales Green Party winning its first member of the Senedd in the next Senedd election. In his first days as leader, he released the first episode of his weekly podcast Bold Politics with Zack Polanski which reached fourth place in the UK news podcast charts by 8 September, and visited Nigel Farage's parliamentary seat in Clacton to speak with the Reform UK seat's constituents.
On 30 September, Polanski was listed in Time Magazine's 2025 100 Next, listing the world's 100 most influential rising stars. On 3 October, he addressed his first annual party conference in Bournemouth, in which he called for a wealth tax, an end to the sale of arms to Israel, and criticised other parties for attacking civil liberties and immigrants. In a subsequent interview with the Byline Times, he stated his intention to run for parliament in the next general election.
== Political views ==
Polanski has labelled his political views as eco-populist, combining environmental politics and populism. Polanski argues that people are unable to consider the climate crisis if they are struggling with day-to-day material concerns such as high rent burden, and high costs of food or heating. In addition to green politics, Polanski has advocated for increasing taxes on billionaires, renationalising water companies, challenging lack of government subsidy on net zero policies, and regulating private corporations more. Polanski has also supported the introduction of a wealth tax, believing that tax on wealth is fairer than one focused on work-based income.
Polanski has stated that he believes that the Gaza war is a genocide and should be treated as such by the UK Government.
Polanski is critical of the UK's relationship with the United States and NATO, and advocates the UK's eventual withdrawal from NATO. Polanski has said he believes that the UK's membership of NATO was untenable in the long-term, in part due to Donald Trump's threats to annex Greenland, as well as NATO prioritising militarism before diplomacy. Polanski has suggested that establishing organisations that prioritise European defence, democracy, diplomacy and international peace would allow for the UK to eventually leave NATO.
== Personal life ==
Polanski is gay and vegan. He currently lives within the London Borough of Hackney with his partner, Richie Bryan, who works in palliative care.
== See also ==
London Green Party
== References ==
== External links ==
Leadership campaign website
Profile at the London Assembly
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