By GB News (Politics) | Created at 2026-08-05 12:31:53 | Updated at 2026-08-05 17:26:46
4 hours ago
Zack Polanski issued an “urgent message” to Andy Burnham as he delivered his first speech since sharing a post that called for the beheading of Nigel Farage.
The Green Party leader had not spoken out in person since refusing to apologise for the incident, which he said had been an honest error, in a TV interview.
The saga centred around Mr Polanski sharing and later deleting a post on Instagram featuring a man wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with a guillotine and words: “We're only making plans for Nigel”.
Reform UK referred the Green Party leader to the Met Police over the post, with the force later confirming it would take no further action.
Mr Polanski did not mention the incident in his London speech today, where he warned the UK was facing the “biggest threat since the Second World War”.
The Green Party leader said he was delivering a “reality check” on the impact of climate change.
Referencing wildfires across Europe, he said: “The scenes we have seen play out on our TV screens are, frankly, apocalyptic.
“Yet, the response from our Government is to pretend none of this is happening.
Zack Polanski delivered his first speech since sharing the Nigel Farage beheading post in London today
GB NEWS
“It is an astonishing dereliction of duty from those whose very first responsibility is to keep all of us safe,” he stressed.
Addressing Mr Burnham directly, the Green Party leader called on the Prime Minister to resist any expansion of North Sea oil and gas drilling.
He insisted there should be “no new drilling” at fields including Rosebank and Jackdaw.
“I hope you will have the courage to be truthful, be brave, and hold firm to your party's commitment to no new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea.”
Zack Polanski deleted the Instagram post, which had been reported to police by Reform UK
Mr Polanski argued the UK was facing a threefold threat from climate change: to public safety, food and water security, and the country's way of life.
He claimed almost 3,000 people had died as a result of this summer's extreme heat, while warning that wildfires, drought and flooding were becoming increasingly severe.
“The government have been far, far too quiet on what is an emergency.
“People are dying. People are scared. It is time to act.”
Wildfires have torn through Europe, causing chaos in France, Spain and Greece
He warned that Europe was warming at twice the global average and that the wildfires were “only a taster of what's to come” unless urgent action was taken.
Among the measures he proposed were creating free “cool spaces” in every community during heatwaves, and providing financial support to help households “heat-proof” their homes.
The Green Party leader also called for the introduction of a national wildfire prevention strategy with access to firefighting helicopters, and bringing water companies back into public ownership.
