Green Party in turmoil as Zack Polanski’s request to postpone conference shot down by own members

By GB News (World News) | Created at 2026-09-19 07:56:01 | Updated at 2026-09-19 08:39:09 1 hour ago

Zack Polanski's request to postpone the Green Party conference to focus on the Holborn and St Pancras by-election has been rejected.

The Green Party leader had submitted the request to the ruling executive committee, but it denied his request.

Party officials say the formal request came from staffers who were worried about diluting funds in the lead-up to the by-election caused by Sir Keir Starmer vacating his seat.

However, The Guardian reports Mr Polanski wanted the conference postponed.

The committee of the Greens in England and Wales, which has 25 voting members, including Mr Polanski, voted against the change on Thursday.

The party conference is set to begin in Brighton on October 2, with around 3,000 people expected to attend.

The by-election takes place on October 8, and in the days leading up to the election, politicians usually spend a lot of time canvassing the local area; the conference will make this a logistical struggle for Mr Polanski.

A Green Party spokesman said: “The party was exploring different ways of allocating our resources effectively while fighting the Holborn and St Pancras by-election.

Zack Polanski

Zack Polanski has had request to postpone the Green Party conference denied by the ruling executive committee

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“One possible option was to postpone our conference.

“After discussion, we remain committed to running an incredibly ambitious Holborn and St Pancras by-election campaign and holding what will be our biggest ever party conference.”

He has come under fire in recent days as he has been accused of using “poisonous” tactics after he released a campaign video entirely in Urdu.

In his bid to secure a Westminster seat, Mr Polanski released a video addressed to voters in Urdu, a language native to Pakistan and India.

Zack Polanski

The Green Party leader has faced criticism for releasing a video in Urdu as part of his campaign

X/BOLD POLITICS

“My name is Zack Polanski, and I am standing for the seat of Holborn and St Pancras,” the Green Party leader began, accompanied by Urdu subtitles.

“Because of pressure from the Greens, Labour has made many U-turns. Vote for the Greens.”

The simple message ended with an end card, also in Urdu, saying the Green Party was “the voice of local people, not big companies”.

Mr Polanski’s video, shared through his podcast Bold Politics’s social media accounts, drew a reaction from Conservative MP Katie Lam.

“Here's the leader of the Green Party, campaigning in Urdu,” she wrote on X, responding to the video.

“Attempting to appeal to group-based grievances by campaigning in foreign languages is poisonous.

“We must ban this practice for good. Politics in our country should be conducted in the language of public life,” the Weald of Kent MP said.

According to 2021 census data, just 256 people speak Urdu as a main language in the borough of Camden, where the seat of Holborn and St Pancras is located.