Zack Polanski‘s leadership of the Greens has been thrown into fresh turmoil today after he was soundly beaten in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election.
Mr Polanski finished more than 3,000 votes behind Labour‘s Sagal Abdi-Wali in the seat vacated by Sir Keir Starmer to cap a torrid week for the Green leader.
He faces major criticism of his ability to lead from both inside and outside the party and rumours of a plot to oust him.
Asked if he planned to stay on as leader, Mr Polanski told reporters today: ‘Yes, absolutely, that is what leaders do.’
He said it had not been a mistake standing in the seat, saying he was happy to stand in elections.
But last night one of his predecessors refused to endorse him continuing in the role, accusing him of going ‘missing’ during the recent anti-Semitism row that engulfed the Green Party Conference.
Caroline Lucas, the former MP, castigated Mr Polanski in a TV interview for avoiding Sunday’s vote that passed a highly controversial ‘Zionism is racism’ policy.
She attacked him for fleeing the event in Brighton to campaign in London instead of staying and opposing the ‘dangerous’ move by hardline pro-Palestinians activists.
Party members passed a motion that demands the eventual destruction of Israel, as well as treating it like apartheid South Africa over the war in Gaza.
But Mr Polanski left the event after giving a speech on Friday, to concentrate on his personal campaign in Holborn & St Pancras.
Mr Polanski finished more than 3,000 votes behind Labour’s Sagal Abdi-Wali in the seat vacated by Sir Keir Starmer to cap a torrid week for the Green leader
Caroline Lucas, also a former party leader, castigated Mr Polanski in a TV interview for missing a weekend party conference vote that passed a highly controversial ‘Zionism is racism’ policy
Speaking to the BBC’s Newsnight Ms Lucas said ‘he should have been there and he should have voted’ in Brighton, adding: ‘I would have hoped that he would have really been a very strong critic of this motion because the motion was flawed from top to bottom in my view.
‘It is dangerous, it is divisive, it tries to have a singular definition of Zionism when we know that there are many.’
Asked if he should carry on as leader she said: ‘Let’s see what happens in the coming days and weeks.
‘I want him to speak about what happened, I want him to show the leadership that was missing on Sunday, I think the jury is out about whether he will do that but I hope he will.’
A Green spokesman said before the result showed it was clear Mr Polanski had come a ‘close second’ in Holborn, adding: ‘Taking the fight to Labour in one of its safest seats shows just how far the Greens have come.’
But in the end he was 3,364 behind, with Tory Ewan Cameron and Reform’s Peter Newman a distant third and fourth respectively.
However Ms Abdi-Wali’s majority is little more than a quarter of the 11,572 enjoyed by Sir Keir in the 2024 election.
Asked if he planned to stay on as leader, Mr Polanski told reporters today: ‘Yes, absolutely, that is what leaders do’
Ms Abdi-Wali, who is also the leader of Camden Council, was the bookies’ favourite
Ms Abdi-Wali said her victory was a testament to the success of diversity in the borough.
She said she wanted to bring Thames Water into public ownership, tackle rough sleeping, and create more opportunities for young people.
Ms Abdi-Wali, who is also the leader of Camden Council, said: ‘I hope this moment also says something about who gets to belong, for people who look like me, I hope they see themselves reflected in this place and know that their path too belongs here. This is Camden, and this is Britain.’
An unexpected win would have made Mr Polanski the sixth Green MP in the Commons, but the defeat will trigger fresh questions about the direction he has taken the party.
The party enjoyed a surge in the polls earlier this year but has seen itself slip backwards after a series of gaffes and the emergence of Andy Burnham as Labour leader.
But it is the latest of several controversies the Greens have been mired in since the former actor and hypnotist took over in September last year, taking it further to the Left and away from its ecological roots.
After the polls closed, a Conservative spokesman said: ‘If Zack Polanski fails to win this by-election, it will surely be curtains for his leadership of the party.
‘We hope it also marks the end of the Green Party‘s sorry embrace of anti-Semitism.’
The Greens has earlier suggested that just being the main challenger to Labour was an achievement, with Mr Polanski writing on social media: ‘The Green Party got 10 per cent last time.
‘Whatever happens tonight – we made Labour work like they never have before. I’m so proud of you all.’
Election workers counting votes in the by-election last night. Had Mr Polanski won, he would have been the Greens’ sixth MP
The turnout of 38.76 per cent in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election is lower than in some recent ones, including 47.62 per cent at Gorton and Denton in February, which Hannah Spencer won for the Greens, taking the seat from Labour.
The Green leader had been appealing for help from activists as residents cast their ballots in the contest for Sir Keir Starmer‘s old seat.
Defeat for Mr Polanski underlines how Mr Burnham’s arrival has flattened the Green surge – which saw them scoop Gorton & Denton in a by-election in February and then secure record-breaking local council results in May.
Holborn & St Pancras has been a Labour stronghold since its formation in 1983, held by Frank Dobson for 32 years and Sir Keir for 11.
Sir Keir won the Holborn and St Pancras seat in 2024 with 48.9 per cent of the vote (18,884 votes), with independent Andrew Feinstein as runner-up on 18.9 per cent (7,312 votes) and the Greens in third with 10.4 per cent of the vote (4,030 votes).
