Green Party leader, Zack Polanski, has urged voters to continue backing the Greens to pressure Labour into adopting more left-wing policies, arguing that sustained electoral competition has already pushed the government to change course on several issues.
Speaking at the Green Party conference in Brighton, Zack Polanski used his keynote address to present the party as an alternative to the governing Labour Party, while setting out positions on housing, climate change, public services, civil liberties and energy policy.
The Green leader is seeking to build support for the party ahead of a by-election in the London constituency of Holborn and St Pancras, where he hopes to defeat Labour following the departure of former Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
According to Polanski, the Greens’ previous electoral gains had demonstrated that the party could influence government policy even without holding national power.
“Through our sustained pressure and our historic wins, we have held the worst instincts of the Labour government in check. And we have started to move them in the right direction.”
Zack Polanski
Polanski further noted that the Greens still had areas where they could push Labour further, particularly on climate action and the cost of energy. He used his speech to revive environmental issues that have attracted scrutiny during his first year as party leader, arguing that the government’s response to extreme weather had been inadequate.
The Green leader stated that the “silence” surrounding extreme heat and wildfires during the summer had shocked him, particularly from a government whose primary responsibility was to protect the public.
“This summer’s fires should have been the final nail in the coffin for new oil and gas. We know that drilling for new fossil fuels won’t bring down bills. We know it won’t make us more secure. And we know that it locks us into a hotter, more dangerous climate. And we say no. No more fossil fuel extraction and a clean energy revolution, now.”
Zack Polanski
Greens Push Housing and Climate Agenda as Alternative to Labour
Polanski called for a three-year emergency brake on private rent increases, proposing that landlords should not be permitted to raise rents above the lowest of consumer price inflation, wage growth or 2%.
“Today we are calling on this government to put in place a three-year emergency brake on private rents. No rent rises above CPI, wage growth or 2% whichever is lower. No sudden hikes. No evictions under the guise of rent rises. No more uncertainty, no more fear.”
Zack Polanski
He emphasised that the proposed measure would provide renters with temporary relief while giving wages time to catch up with rental costs.
The longer-term proposal, he added, would be a national Fair Rents Guarantee intended to keep housing costs affordable.
Moreover, Polanski linked the housing proposal directly to the Greens’ broader electoral appeal, arguing that voters seeking changes to the rental market should support his party.
“And that’s why we are needed; people need an alternative. Only by voting Green can voters be sure that they will back a real plan for shaking up the housing market.”
Zack Polanski
On the other hand, Polanski criticised the arrests of protesters associated with the organisation, describing images of pensioners being detained by police as damaging to Britain’s reputation.
“The sight of pensioners being put in handcuffs and bundled into police vans for holding up cardboard signs has been a stain and a shame on this country’s reputation for far too long. To a Labour government so determined to crush dissent that it labels those with views it doesn’t want to hear as terrorists. Terrorists. Terrorists.”
Zack Polanski
Polanski contrasted the Green Party’s position with Labour’s parliamentary actions, indicating that Green MPs had not supported the measures he criticised.
“Those principles? Free speech. Civil liberties. The right to dissent, which has won us our most precious freedoms. And Greens? We stand with one voice now as we say: Drop the charges, end the genocide, deprescribe Palestine Action.”
Zack Polanski
In the closing section of his address, he directly contrasted the Greens with Burnham’s Labour government, arguing that the two parties had fundamentally different approaches to climate policy.
“Our differences with this Labour government could not be clearer. While they play politics with our planet, we stick to the science. While Andy Burnham barely whispers a word about climate, we seek urgent action.”
Zack Polanski
In addition to that, Polanski argued that the Greens’ recent electoral performance and rising membership demonstrated the potential for the party to expand its influence.
“Over the last year, we’ve seen just how powerful hope with a plan can be. It has fuelled our membership to record levels, propelled our party to amazing electoral success but more importantly, it’s changed our country for the better. But we in this room all know we are just getting started.”
Zack Polanski
Polanski concluded by urging supporters not to be discouraged by political opposition or criticism.
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