Zack Polanski Leads Green Party Amid Surging Membership and Political Expansion
Zack Polanski was elected leader of the Green Party in September, a leadership marked by significant growth and expanded political influence. Since his election, the party's membership has doubled from about 70,000 to over 140,000, surpassing that of the Liberal Democrats and then the Conservatives.
The party now fields four Green MPs—Siân Berry, Carla Denyer, Adrian Ramsay, and Ellie Chowns—each shadowing six government departments to represent Green voters nationwide. Siân Berry’s parliamentary responsibilities include crime and policing, justice, transport, work and pensions, culture, media and sport, and democratic standards.
Polling around 17%, the Green Party emphasizes its role in representing a broad Green vote across the country as it continues to grow. Caroline Lucas remains a noted legacy figure in Brighton, but Berry highlights the party’s expansion beyond Lucas’s previous lone representation.
The Greens critique Reform UK and identify large housing developers and business interests as key influences over Labour, naming Ed Miliband as energy secretary who challenges Reform.
Climate action remains a central priority for the party, which warns of a possible two-degree temperature increase without decisive intervention. The party frames its growth as rooted in building community spirit and fostering hopeful, participatory politics aimed at countering right-wing narratives.
