Zack Polanski has issued a warning that Britain is at risk of sliding into authoritarianism under Prime Minister Keir Starmer, declaring that “our rights and our liberties are not negotiable.”

Delivering his first conference speech as Green Party leader in Bournemouth, Mr Polanski launched a scathing attack on the Labour government, criticizing its push for digital IDs, the banning of journalists from its Liverpool conference, and the decision to proscribe the Palestine Action protest group.

He accused Labour of abandoning Britain’s long-standing tradition of civil liberties, saying: “This country has a proud tradition of protecting civil liberties – but once again a Labour government is cracking down on our rights.”

Mr Polanski went further, listing what he described as dangerous overreaches. “From terrorist proscription against protesters, to banning journalists from their conference, to diving into a rushed, evidence-free plan for digital IDs that are likely to discriminate against minorities. The alarm bells of authoritarianism are now ringing.”

Positioning the Green Party as a defender of rights, Mr Polanski told delegates: “It’s down to us, the Green Party, to take a stand and say that our rights and our liberties are not negotiable, and we will do everything in our power to protect both our privacy and defend our juries.”

A key demand in his speech was the reversal of the government’s move to proscribe Palestine Action, a protest group that has vowed to press ahead with a demonstration in London this weekend despite the risk of arrest. Mr Polanski said the ban “must be withdrawn.”

The controversy comes amid heightened tensions following a terror attack at a Manchester synagogue last Thursday. In the wake of the incident, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood called for pro-Gaza rallies to be cancelled and urged potential attendees to “show some humanity.”

But Mr Polanski argued that Labour’s response, rather than protecting public order, risked silencing legitimate dissent.

Accusing Labour Of Enabling The Right

The Green leader also accused Starmer of creating political space for Reform UK, claiming Labour was acting as a “handmaiden” to the right-wing party’s rise in the polls.

“I am under no illusion as to the threat we face in this country: A march in London addressed by a who’s who of the far right. A party leading in the polls with plans to deport our friends, our neighbours, our family members. And a government, a Labour government who are the handmaidens of this dangerous, deceitful politics.”
Zack Polanski

Mr Polanski launched a stinging personal attack on Reform UK figurehead Nigel Farage, describing him as a “Trump-loving, tax-avoiding, science-denying, NHS-dismantling corporate stooge.” He warned that Starmer’s Labour Party was “dancing to his tune.”

Alongside his criticisms of Labour, Mr Polanski sought to set out an alternative vision. He pledged to push for a wealth tax on the richest one percent, end arms sales and intelligence cooperation with Israel, and bring Britain’s utilities and public services into public ownership.

The new leader’s combative stance comes just weeks after his election with an overwhelming 85 percent of Green Party member votes. Since then, the party’s membership has grown by a third, surpassing 80,000.

A London Assembly member who plans to contest a parliamentary seat at the next general election, Mr Polanski is determined to cement the Greens as the natural choice for disillusioned Labour supporters. While he has kept the door open to working with Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana’s Your Party, he insists the Greens are the only viable left-wing force.

“Our rights and our liberties are not negotiable,” he reiterated, urging Britons to rally behind a Green alternative capable of challenging both Labour and Reform UK.