Zack Polanski’s leadership of the Green Party has come under renewed pressure after he suffered a decisive defeat in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election.
Mr Polanski conceded to Labour candidate Sagal Abdi-Wali shortly after 2.30am in the early hours of the morning, in the seat previously held by Sir Keir Starmer.
The result caps a difficult week for the Green leader, who has faced mounting criticism from within and outside the party, alongside speculation that some members may seek to remove him.
One of his predecessors also criticised his handling of the recent anti-Semitism controversy that overshadowed the Green Party Conference and stopped short of backing his continued leadership.
Caroline Lucas, the former Green MP and party leader, accused Mr Polanski in a television interview of avoiding Sunday’s vote on a highly contentious policy declaring that “Zionism is racism”.
She criticised him for leaving the conference in Brighton to campaign in London, rather than remaining to oppose what she described as a “dangerous” motion backed by hardline pro-Palestinian activists.
Green Party members approved a motion that calls for the eventual destruction of Israel and compares its treatment of Palestinians during the Gaza conflict with apartheid-era South Africa.
Mr Polanski had left the conference after delivering a speech on Friday so he could focus on his own campaign in Holborn and St Pancras.
Speaking on the BBC’s Newsnight, Ms Lucas, the former MP for Brighton Pavilion, said Mr Polanski “should have been there and he should have voted”. She added that she had expected him to strongly oppose the motion, which she described as flawed “from top to bottom”.
“It is dangerous, it is divisive, and it tries to impose a single definition of Zionism when we know there are many,” she said.
Asked whether Mr Polanski should remain as Green Party leader, Ms Lucas replied: “Let’s see what happens in the coming days and weeks.”
Caroline Lucas, a former Green Party leader, criticised Mr Polanski in a television interview for missing the conference vote on the controversial “Zionism is racism” policy
The under-pressure “eco-populist” contested the north London seat vacated by Sir Keir Starmer, but was widely expected to lose to Labour’s Sagal Abdi-Wali
A surprise victory would have made Mr Polanski the sixth Green MP in the Commons, while a heavy defeat was expected to intensify scrutiny of his direction for the party
“I want him to address what happened and show the leadership that was missing on Sunday,” Ms Lucas said. “I think the jury is still out on whether he will do that, but I hope he will.”
A Green Party spokesman said Mr Polanski had finished a “close second”, arguing that challenging Labour in one of its safest constituencies demonstrated “just how far the Greens have come”.
The under-pressure “eco-populist” had hoped to succeed Sir Keir Starmer as MP for the north London constituency, although he had trailed Ms Abdi-Wali in betting markets for much of the campaign.
Victory would have given Mr Polanski a sixth Green seat in the House of Commons. Instead, the result is likely to prompt renewed debate about the party’s political direction under his leadership.
MORE ON THIS: Live Radar: Heavy Rain Moves Across Central Florida
The Greens enjoyed a significant polling boost earlier this year, but their momentum has since weakened following a series of gaffes and the rise of Andy Burnham as Labour leader.
The by-election defeat is the latest setback for the party since the former actor and hypnotist became leader in September last year, shifting the Greens further to the left and away from their traditional ecological focus.
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 tonight suggested that just being the main challenger to Labour was an achievement.
Mr Polanski wrote 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.’
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.
Ms Abdi-Wali is the bookies’ favourite, with confidence growing inside the party that the Camden councillor will clinch victory.
Ms Abdi-Wali is the bookies’ favourite, with confidence growing inside the party that the Camden councillor will clinch victory.
But Mr Polanski insisted on social media overnight that he ‘can win’, claiming there might be just a ‘few hundred votes in it’.
He pointed to a projection from Poll Check suggesting Labour could get 40.4 per cent of the vote and the Greens 35.6 per cent.
Defeat for Mr Polanski would underline 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.
There are 13 other candidates in the by-election, including the Conservatives’ Ewan Cameron, Reform UK’s Peter Newman and the Liberal Democrats’ Patrick Thomas Stillman.
Also running is George Galloway of the Workers Party of Britain, despite living overseas in what he describes as ‘self-exile’.
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).