Polanski Insists Leadership Does Not Hinge on Holborn and St Pancras Byelection
Zack Polanski has said his authority as leader of the Green Party of England and Wales does not depend on winning the Holborn and St Pancras byelection on 8 October. Polanski is contesting Keir Starmer's former seat for the Greens against Labour in a contest scheduled for the week after 2 October 2026, with polling day confirmed as Thursday 8 October. The Guardian
He described the race as "probably 50/50 right now" and "really on a knife edge". He has never been an MP. He is a London Assembly member and was announced on 11 September 2026 as the Green candidate for the seat. The Guardian In September, while campaigning in the constituency, he said he was confident he could win the seat vacated by Keir Starmer.
That confidence is not universally shared inside the party. Senior Green figures privately fear a defeat in Holborn and St Pancras could severely damage Polanski's leadership. Polanski had asked for the party's annual conference to be postponed to focus on the byelection. The party's executive rejected the proposal.
The conference is proceeding in Brighton, where members are due on Saturday to debate a motion declaring "Zionism is racism". Caroline Lucas, Adrian Ramsay and Rachel Millward have distanced themselves from the motion, warning it could be divisive.
On policy, Polanski has called for a three-year cap on rent prices. The Guardian He has described the Holborn and St Pancras by-election as a referendum on ending "rip-off Britain", language set out by the party in early September. The vote is on 8 October.
The contest is framed as an early test of whether Labour under Andy Burnham can reclaim progressive voters who moved towards the Greens. Labour is defending Starmer's former seat. The Greens are seeking to take it.
The broader context here is a leadership wager tied to parliamentary entry. Polanski leads a party with national ambitions while holding a devolved mandate in London. A byelection in a high-profile London seat offers visibility and a direct claim to speak for Green voters in Westminster. It also concentrates risk. Defeat would leave the leader outside Parliament after a concentrated campaign. Victory would give him a Westminster platform.
Looking at what this means for party management, the next week combines electoral pressure with internal debate. The executive's decision to keep the conference timetable preserves internal procedure. It keeps contested motions on the agenda during a byelection campaign. How Polanski navigates the "Zionism is racism" debate, the rent cap pledge, and expectations around a 50/50 race will shape perceptions of discipline and direction among members, rivals and Labour strategists watching the progressive vote.
