Zack Polanski: How Green army high on hope may sweep leader to historic London by-election winHundreds of Green activists are set to hit the streets of Holborn and St Pancras from this Sunday to try to get their party leader elected to Parliament
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Nicholas Cecil, Chief Reporter @nicholascecil|Niva Yadav1 minute ago
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‘The Green Party are clearly high on the Class-A drugs they want to legalise if they think they are in this race because we know they’re not,’ Labour’s General Secretary Hollie Ridley claimed ahead of the Gorton and Denton by-election.
Zack Polanski’s Green Party won the contest in February this year with Hannah Spencer returned as the new local MP.
So, who was dabbling with what is still not clear.
Hannah Spencer with Green Party leader Zack Polanski after she won the Gorton and Denton by-electionPA Wire
During campaigning for the by-election, the Greens fell just short of getting out 1,000 activists on one day.
Party insiders are reluctant to say they will break this figure to get Mr Polanski elected in Holborn and St Pancras in the by-election triggered by Sir Keir Starmer standing down as the local MP.
But they may very well do so.
Afterall, it’s London, where the party is on 16% for Westminster voting intention according to the most recent poll, the younger demographics of the particular seat and it’s to get the party leader into the Commons.
Hundreds of Green activists are already going to hit the streets of the constituency from this Sunday.
They will be high on hope.
In contrast, Labour is still a party recovering from the Starmer years.
Despite, landmark reforms to make the party electable and a landslide election victory, Labour plunged in popularity and haemorrhaged voters to the Greens and other parties.
A Green Party source said: “For the Greens this is about electing the leader of the Green Party to Parliament and showing it can beat Labour in cities across England.
“It’s absolutely pivotal.”
Camden council leader Sagal Abdi-WaliCamden council
Labour is yet to select its contender for the by-election, though Camden council leader Sagal Abdi-Wali has been tipped as an early frontrunner.
The Greens have already knocked on nearly 1,500 doors in the first three days since Sir Keir’s announcement.
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They detect some movement from Labour to Green.
Strikingly, both parties got almost the same number of votes in Gorton and Denton, and Holborn and St Pancras, at the 2024 general election.
Sir Keir gained 18,884 votes, with the Greens trailing in third place with 4,030.
Independent candidate Andrew Feinstein got 7,312 votes and came second and he has hinted at a willingness to do a deal with the Greens to now deny Labour victory.
In Gorton and Denton, Labour got 18,555, the Greens were in third on 4,810, followed by the Workers Party of Britain on 3,766.
In the by-election seven months ago, the Workers Party of Britain did not stand, with many of their voters believed to have gone Green.
More possible symmetry.
The Greens believe the north London contest may come down to a “knife edge”.
Sir Keir Starmer is standing down as MP for Holborn and St PancrasPA Wire
At the moment, though, a degree of political indifference appears to be hanging over the constituency.
Alex, 40, lives in Kentish Town and said he voted Green last time and is “most likely to continue to vote Green”.
He explained he is a “big supporter of Palestine” and was “disappointed in the lack of action in the things Keir Starmer kept talking about”.
His comments may give an insight into how this election may turn out.
If many voters still see Labour through the spectrum of Sir Keir’s unpopular Government, the Greens will scent a win at the by-election expected in October.
But if the residents of north London have been buoyed by the mood of optimism being spread by new Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Labour is far more likely to hold the seat.
Green Party leader Zack Polanski has taken a gamble in seeking to win a safe Labour seatPA Wire
Political shifts often take time.
So, Mr Polanski has taken a big gamble in seeking to win in a seat which has been Labour since its creation in 1983.
But with the size of his Green army, after the party’s local elections success in London, and with controversy over Sir Keir quitting, he may have a fortuitous window of opportunity to score a historic victory.
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Zack PolanskiHolborn and St Pancrasby-electionGreen PartyLabourAndy BurnhamKeir Starmer