Green Leader Zack Polanski Says He Helped ‘Topple’ Keir Starmer

Zack Polanski has claimed he and the Green Party helped “topple” Keir Starmer as prime minister.

Speaking at a press conference focused on the climate crisis, he alleged that his party’s success at the Gorton and Denton by-election in February this year accelerated Starmer’s downfall.

He said: “I think one of my biggest achievements in my coming up through the Green party was toppling a very popular prime minister.

“I am in no doubt that if we had not won Gorton and Denton, Keir Starmer would not have had the leadership crisis he had.”

The Greens’ Hannah Spencer took the Manchester seat from Labour in a surprise win five months ago as the party shot up in the polls.

Starmer and Labour’s executive body blocked then-Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham from running in the by-election.

The PM’s net favourability was at -47 at the time, and voters appeared to be flocking to the Greens.

But it was not until after the party’s shockingly poor performance in the May elections across England, Wales and Scotland that Labour MPs publicly called on Starmer to quit.

Makerfield MP Josh Simons then announced that he was vacating his seat so Burnham could return to parliament.

Burnham won the Makerfield by-election on June 18 and Starmer announced he was resigning just days later.

Burnham then ran uncontested to be the next prime minister and was sworn into office on July 20.

But Polanski told the media on Wednesday that the Greens’ victory in Gorton and Denton helped create the “version” of Burnham who criticises neoliberalism.

He added: “And obviously I very much agree with that and that’s something I’ve been talking about all year, and something the Green Party has been talking about for decades.”

The Greens peaked in popularity back in March, when pollsters found the party had leapfrogged Labour and secured second place behind Reform UK.

A YouGov survey for Sky News and The Times put the party on 21% after their support surged by four points with Reform on 23% and Labour trailing at 16%.

But the latest YouGov voting intention poll put Reform at 23%, Labour 22%, the Conservatives on 19% and the Greens far behind in fourth place, on 13%.

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