I’d never heard of Zack Polanski until this September. Then suddenly, he was everywhere. News podcasts, Twitter threads, Time Magazine. This bloke from London just won the Green Party leadership with 85% of the vote, and now everyone’s got an opinion about him.
Where is Zack Polanski from?
Born in Salford in 1982 as David Paulden. His family was from Latvia and Poland, fleeing persecution in the early 1900s. They changed their name from Polanski to Paulden in an effort to escape antisemitism.
He changed it back when he turned 18. He said he was doing it to reclaim his family’s name. Also switched from David to Zack because his stepdad was David, and he was sick of being “little David”. Got the name from a Jewish refugee character in Goodnight Mister Tom.
Zack Polanski ethnicity is Ashkenazi Jewish. He talks about it openly. Attended Stockport Grammar on a scholarship, followed by a comprehensive, then Aberystwyth University. He even did drama school in Georgia, USA, for a bit.
Before Politics – Zack Polanski Hypnotherapy
Polanski worked as an actor and with theatre companies. He also did hypnotherapy work, which got him in trouble once. In 2013, The Sun sent someone pretending to be a client wanting bigger breasts. He did the session thinking it was about body confidence. They published it as a sensational story. He’s apologised since, saying they twisted what happened.
He’s openly gay and lives in Hackney with his partner, Richie Bryan, who works in palliative care. He’s also vegan. He thanked Richie in his victory speech, which was quite sweet.
The Political Bit
Started with the Lib Dems. Ran for council in 2015 and the London Assembly in 2016. But things went wrong. He heckled Jeremy Corbyn at a rally for not being pro-EU enough, he said.
Then, when he sought to stand in Richmond Park, the party insisted it should be restricted to local residents. He seethed: they didn’t appreciate him; he felt gutted.
Left in 2017 and joined the Green Party after meeting Natalie Bennett. Was elected to the London Assembly in 2021. Became Deputy Leader in 2022. Got re-elected in 2024.
What He Actually Stands For
Polanski calls his thing eco-populism. Basically, linking climate change with the cost of living. High energy bills, housing costs, and a struggling NHS are all connected to how the economy runs and who benefits.
His pitch is simple. Tax the rich. Fund public services. Fix the climate. Stand up for workers. It’s left-wing politics with a green angle and people seem to like it.
Since he announced his leadership bid in May, the Greens have gone from 60,000 members to over 170,000 by November. That’s more than the Tories now.
Also Read: Leaders of the Conservative Party in the Last 20 Years Detailed
The Leadership Race
When he announced in May 2025, he wasn’t a favourite. MPs Adrian Ramsay and Ellie Chowns seemed more likely. They were the sensible choice.
But Polanski said something different. The Greens needed to challenge Reform UK and grab disappointed Labour voters. His message was bolder, louder. Owen Jones backed him in The Guardian. Caroline Lucas backed the other lot, but members wanted change.
He won 85% of the vote on 2 September. First solo male leader of the Greens. First Jewish leader of a Westminster party since Ed Miliband.
What He’s Done Since
Launched a podcast called Bold Politics with Zack Polanski. Within a week, it was fourth in the UK news podcast charts. Went to Nigel Farage’s constituency in Clacton to talk to Reform voters, trying to understand what draws people to Farage.
At the Green conference in October, he laid out his plans. Wealth tax. End arms sales to Israel. Protect immigrants. Call out what he describes as genocide in Gaza. Save the NHS. Cut bills.
He’s attacking both Labour and Reform, positioning the Greens as the real alternative. His speeches talk about “a political class poisoned by extreme wealth.” It’s quotable stuff that gets shared loads.
In November, former Labour MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle joined the Greens. Shows his strategy of attracting disillusioned Labour voters is working.
The Controversial Stuff
Not everyone’s happy. Some in the party think he’s too loud, too left-wing, too polarising. His stance on Palestine has caused friction. He’s called Israeli actions in Gaza genocide and supported pro-Palestine protesters. Called the Board of Deputies “the Board of Deputies for the Israeli Government”, which upset many Jewish people.
His views on Israel have changed a lot from his upbringing. He’s said he grew up “in a very Zionist household, raised to really believe that Israel was the centre of everything.” Now he’s proudly Jewish but “certainly not a Zionist.” Says Israel has changed, and so have his politics.
In January 2025, he insisted on gender diversity for a panel at the London Assembly. Conservative members walked out, calling it “left-wing identity politics”. He didn’t back down.
Why He’s Different
I’ve seen some of his interviews. He talks like a real guy, not someone reading canned soundbites. Felt physically ill when the leadership numbers came through “because of the enormity of the task”.
Such candour is rare in politics. There is a video of him filming something, and a young couple comes up. “Bloody hell, it’s Zack!” the woman says, before telling him they had only just got to the party. That moment felt real.
The Numbers
Polling since September has been interesting. Greens are consistently ahead of the Lib Dems and sometimes ahead of the Conservatives. One poll in November had them trailing only Reform UK. Whether that gets them seats is another question, but the momentum is real.
The membership surge is massive. 60,000 when he announced to 170,000 by November. People are calling it the “Polanski surge”. Social media following has grown loads too. Young people especially seem drawn to him.
What’s Next
Polanski wants 30 seats at the next general election. They’ve currently got four MPs, so that’s ambitious. May 2026 local elections will be the first test.
He’s said he wants the Wales Green Party to get its first Senedd member. Also made clear he wouldn’t support a coalition with Keir Starmer. The Greens under Polanski aren’t interested in being junior partners. They want to replace Labour as the main left-wing party.
My Take
Whether you like him or not, Polanski represents something happening right now. Traditional parties are struggling. Labour’s support is soft. Conservatives are a mess. Reform UK is growing on the right. The Greens under Polanski are growing on the left.
His eco-populism thing, linking environmental stuff with economic and social justice, is clearly connecting with people who feel let down by mainstream politics. Whether it’s his charisma, his message, or just the timing is hard to say. Probably all three.
From an actor and hypnotherapist in north London to Time Magazine’s most influential rising stars list, his rise has been fast. Whether he can turn that into lasting change remains to be seen. But right now he’s got people’s attention and he’s not wasting it.
Zack Polanski has changed the conversation. The Greens aren’t just the climate party anymore. They’re becoming the party for people angry about inequality, worried about the far right, disappointed with Labour, and looking for something different.
Time will tell if it lasts. But for now, he’s the politician everyone’s talking about.
