Polanski threw everything at by-election and flopped – now the Green Party is tearing itself apart in bitter civil war

9 comments 9 Next ZACK Polanski emerges from the Holborn and St Pancras by-election a significantly diminished figure. While adamant he will continue as Green Party leader, it is clear that many of his colleagues have now seen enough. Green Party leader Zack Polanski following the results in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election Credit: Reuters Labour candidate Sagal Abdi-Wali smiles after her victory was announced Credit: PA Advertisement Nobody can accuse Polanski of failing to put maximum effort into winning – he threw everything at it, including missing the bulk of his own annual conference. But therein lies the problem: how do the Greens recover when their biggest star flops in a seat they themselves claimed was eminently winnable? Sign up for the Politics newsletter Thank you! Email address Please provide a valid email. Your info will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy You'll now receive top stories, breaking news, and more, straight to your email. Andy Burnham will be delighted to avoid a first loss on his record, especially given that incumbent governments tend to get punished mid-term. Any celebration, however, should be tempered given Labour has held the seat since the 1980s and the Greens increased their vote share by 22 per cent. Read more on the Greens STAYING GREEN Zack Polanski refuses to quit as Green leader despite by-election defeat PARTY CRASHERS How Green Party is imploding under Zack Polanski after influx of new members Polanski will cling to this stat as he defends mounting questions over his leadership in the coming days and weeks. But a much bigger problem is the collapse in the polls he has suffered during the last few months. Having exploited Sir Keir Starmer’s unpopularity and taken the Greens to a record height of 18 per cent, the party has since crashed back down to around 10 per cent. And that is before we come to the pickle Polanski finds himself in as a result of a destructive motion passed by his members that “zionism is racism” – i.e that Israel should not exist. Advertisement Most read in The Sun TWISTER TERROR Terrifying moment tornado rips through Brit hols hotspot leaving two injured MURDER RIDDLE Mystery over 'murder' of Royal Engineer 'attacked' in woods while on dogwalk FIRE & FURY Pilot among three dead after Iran’s Houthi rebels blitz plane at major airport PRISON BLOODSHED Child among 10 dead after inmates open fire during prison visiting hours That Polanski could not bring himself to vote – instead scarpering from the Brighton conference early – has been viewed by many as an abdication of leadership. When finally facing the cameras in the early hours of this morning , he again fudged his response to try to appease both sides, insisting that the “ongoing genocide and the displacement of the Palestinian people” was “clearly racist”. It is clear that the Green Party’s unholy alliance of radical pro-Gaza agitators with traditional environment crusties is now being stretched to breaking point. Polanski chose to court the Muslim vote by putting Palestine front and centre of his leadership, largely at the expense of issues like climate change. But it is increasingly evident that his act of straddling both horses is becoming seriously uncomfortable. Advertisement Those on the moderate fringe have been given a way back to Labour after ministers imposed sanctions on Israeli settlements in the West Bank. More will surely follow in the aftermath of Polanski’s by-election defeat, judging it better to hitch their wagon to Burnham. Does this tempt the PM to call the early election he is secretly flirting with? While the strategy is clearly to pick off as many disenchanted Greens and Lib Dems as possible, he is still facing a hell of a fight with Reform in the Red Wall. RECOMMENDED STORIES A recent poll showed Labour would surrender its majority if one were held tomorrow and he would be forced into a ramshackle coalition with minor parties. Advertisement And if Polanski’s leadership is only going south, perhaps patience is a virtue. 9 comments 9