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Newly elected Green Party leader Zack Polanski has declared at the party’s conference that a tax targeting the wealthiest individuals would dismantle “rip-off Britain” and transform the nation into an “affordable” place to reside.
Addressing party members in Bournemouth, Polanski stated that levying taxes on the assets of the richest 1% would enable the government to adequately fund universal free childcare, specialized education for students with special needs, and essential rural bus routes.
He also staunchly defended migrants and refugees, receiving resounding applause from the audience. Furthermore, he accused the Labour Party of acting as “handmaidens” to Reform UK, quipping, “When Farage says jump, Labour asks ‘how high’.”
Polanski, who has characterized himself as an “eco-populist,” is endeavoring to shift the Green Party further to the left, aiming to directly challenge Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party.
In recent months, the prime minister has pursued tighter immigration controls, a move that critics interpret as a response to Reform’s ascendancy in national opinion polls.
However, Sir Keir Starmer, during his Labour conference speech this week, launched a scathing attack on Reform leader Nigel Farage, accusing him of fostering division and lacking faith in Britain—allegations that Farage has vehemently denied.
Polanski labeled Farage a “Trump-loving corporate stooge” and accused Sir Keir of readily acceding to his agenda.
Notably, Polanski’s speech deviated from the typical focus on environmental issues usually associated with Green Party leaders.
He articulated to the conference: “One cannot be an effective environmentalist without addressing the deep inequality prevalent in our society.”
Much of his address centered on the pressing challenges posed by the cost of living crisis, highlighting the increase in homelessness, the anxieties of tenants regarding rent, and the struggles of families to manage their bills.
Polanski asserted that the country’s problems are “rooted in an economic model built on austerity and privatization,” but affirmed that the Green Party would “break the shackles of poverty and hardship that lock so many in.”
“This is a country with so much potential, yet we have been consistently failed by a political class tainted by extreme wealth, a poison evident every day.”
“A country where a tiny elite has seized our power and wealth. Change is imperative. It’s time to reclaim it.”
He acknowledged that some voters might be concerned about the potential impact of the proposed taxes on the wealthiest.
“Hairdressers and plumbers understandably ask, ‘I’ve worked hard all my life. Why are you taxing me? Why are you taxing my ambition?'”
However, Polanski clarified that his focus is on those individuals who “will make more money in one night than everyone in this room could probably earn in an entire year.”
In a 20-minute address, Polanski told the conference that his party’s “horizons” would not be “narrow” and that he would “not be silent” on “the mass slaughter in Palestine.”
“We must cease selling arms to Israel, we must halt the sharing of intelligence,” he stated.
He also voiced criticism of what he described as a “draconian crackdown on the right to protest.”
“From terrorist proscription against protesters, to banning journalists from their conference, to diving into a rushed evidence-free plan for digital IDs that are likely to discriminate against minorities—the alarm bells of authoritarianism are now ringing.”
In his defense of refugees and migrants, Polanski stated that the “economic system” poses the real “threat to the places we love… not people arriving in small boats.”
Amidst enthusiastic cheers from party members, he declared: “We’ll say it loud, we’ll say it clear: migrants and refugees are welcome here.”
He affirmed that the Greens aim to stop small boats crossing the Channel through “safe and legal routes.”
He also attributed the divisions in society to “a politics that tries to divide us and points the finger at each other, instead of at billionaires.”
In contrast to comments made by Sir Keir earlier this year, who suggested that the UK risked becoming an “island of strangers,” Polanski asserted: “This is a nation of neighbors.”
He emphasized that defending migration held personal significance due to his own “confused and muddled” Jewish ancestry, which saw his family flee from Latvia to Ukraine to Poland, and ultimately to England.
Pausing to acknowledge Thursday’s attack on a synagogue in Manchester, where Polanski grew up, he conveyed, “My heart is with the community.”
Over the past year, the Green Party has built upon its success in the 2024 general election—where it secured four MPs—by gaining 74 seats in the local council elections.
Last month, Polanski received overwhelming support from party members in a leadership contest against the less confrontational duo of Green MPs Adrian Ramsay and Ellie Chowns.
Since the election, the party reports that its membership has surged by 20%, reaching an all-time high of 80,000.
Polanski, who is a member of the London Assembly but does not hold a seat in Parliament, has expressed an interest in collaborating with the new party being established by former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and former Labour MP Zarah Sultana.
Speaking after the leadership election, he noted that it was “too soon to talk about joining electoral coalitions,” but expressed his willingness to work with “anyone who wants to challenge a failing Labour government and take on fascism and the far right.”
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