Are the Greens heading left?
Polanski fired the starting gun on this race when he announced his surprise (although not so to most party insiders) decision to run shortly after this year's local elections. His platform of 'eco-populism' has, in some ways, defined the campaign and its place in the wider political moment. Polanski, who is the party's current deputy leader, said in his leadership pitch that the Greens should occupy a more progressive, populist space on the left in order to confront the infectious populism of Nigel Farage's Reform. He has called for a wealth tax, a better approach to net zero and a more robust left-wing position on immigration.
In doing so, he has captured the imagination of the former Corbynite left, some of whom have ditched their former Labour allegiances and become paid-up members of the Greens. The commentator and former NS columnist Grace Blakeley announced her defection to the party in order to vote for Polanski in June. This, insiders in his campaign believe, is reflective of wider increases in membership of the party: people have signed up to Green Party membership in order to vote for Polanski. (This mirrors those who took advantage of Labour's £3 membership deal to vote for Corbyn's leadership in 2015). 'I'm delighted,' Polanski told me, 'there's been a lot of focus on all the new members that have joined to vote for me.' He added: 'I'm feeling confident, but not complacent. I will be campaigning until the very last day of voting for every single vote.' (When asked, the Green Party said they would not share membership data during the election campaign.)
Though it was clearly obvious Polanski was on manoeuvres, he did not inform Ramsay of his decision to run. Nor was Chowns aware of her now-opponent's intentions. The pair stepped forward as candidates shortly after Polanski's announcement, with Chowns stepping in to run as a co-leader, replacing Carla Denyer, the MP for Bristol Central who has been leading the party alongside Ramsay since 2021. Their campaign has focused on their ability to win first-past-the-post elections, and the pair have made clear the damage they think having a leader sitting outside of parliament would do to the progress the Green party has made. 'People really want a professional party that can win elections,' Chowns told me when we spoke over the phone shortly before voting opened. 'That's what Adrian and I are standing for. Members can vote for a leadership who knows how to win elections.'
This has been a perennial criticism thrown at Polanski throughout the campaign: that as a London Assembly Member and not an MP, his leadership would provide a stumbling block for the Green Party's enduring progress. Jenny Jones, a party grandee and former deputy mayor of London, who is backing Ramsay and Chowns told me: 'I get on well with Zack, he's an excellent campaigner.' But she added: 'The reason I am voting for [Ramsay and Chowns] is because they are good at getting not only themselves elected, but getting other people elected'.
But this is a moment of flux in British politics. As Labour has moved rightward in order to face-up to the ongoing threat of Reform, it has become more exposed on its left flank. Analysis by Stack Data Strategy and shared with the New Statesman found that Labour is losing more votes to its left than to the right. The founding of Corbyn and Sultana's party, and the increasing anger and frustration from left-wing voters over Gaza, has provided an opportunity for the Green Party. James Schneider, Corbyn's former director of strategic communications, said in a recent interview with the New Left Review that Corbyn and Sultana's party should be open to some form of red-green cooperation. Chowns and Ramsay have all but turned their backs on this idea: 'We have a really distinct identity as Greens,' Chowns told me. On the eve of voting opening, they criticised Polanski's eco-populist platform as 'chasing the next headline, the next set of likes, rather than real substance'.
This has been an unprecedented campaign for the Green Party, not least because of the volume of media attention it has courted. But the outcome also bears wider political significance. A party led by Ramsay and Chowns would likely mean business as usual for the Green Party (beefed up local campaigning, and a focus on winning more seats). A victory for Polanski, however, would mark a new era for the party and more widely, for the left. In partnership with a new left party led by Corbyn, the Greens could do some serious damage to Labour's left flank. In just over four weeks' time, the future of the Green Party may finally begin to take shape.
Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe
This piece first appeared in the Morning Call newsletter; receive it every morning by subscribing on Substack here
[See also: One year on, tensions still circle Britain's asylum-seeker hotels]
Related
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
28 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Nigel Farage dismisses health rumours - as the 61-year-old Reform leader says his political opponents are spreading untrue gossip
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has quashed Westminster rumours that his relentless schedule is taking a toll on his health. The 61-year-old has dubbed the whispers swirling between Labour and Tory MPs about his condition as 'untrue', and while long days come with his gruelling schedule, his now moderate lifestyle balances it out. Describing building a new political party and movement as 'an enormous task', and that he has never worked 'more intensity' than in the last year, he still manages to enjoy a pint or the odd afternoon lunch. 'They can't question us on immigration. They can't question us on crime. They have nothing to go on,' he told The Times. 'I wouldn't say the BMA would hold me up as a pin-up boy, but I'm feeling good. A bit of exercise, I walk the dogs. 'I'm not too bad at all really. I look at people I was at school with and think I'm doing well.' The party leader confessed he has, in fact, become more at peace, and is not phased by 'the little things' or online criticism any longer. And while Farage has rammed up his work schedule to another level, he hopes to take four days off in the summer to go fishing with his son. Discussion about the 61-year-old's health comes amid worrying polls for the Conservatives, as nearly half of participants believe Reform provide a more effective opposition to Labour. A YouGov poll found only nine percent of people surveyed found the Tories provided a more successful opposition to Starmer's party while 42 percent swayed towards giving Reform. And 62 percent of voters said it was clear what Farage's principles were, while only 30 percent said the same for Badenoch, and 26 percent for Sir Keir Starmer. It comes after a new-mega poll suggested Reform UK were within 'touching distance' of forming a majority government. The More In Common survey found, if a general election was held today, Reform would become the largest party in the House of Commons with 290 seats. Although this is below the number of MPs needed for an outright majority, meaning a hung parliament, it was more than twice as many as any other party. And the pollster said Reform is now 'close to the level where they could command an outright majority'. More In Common's new MRP (Multilevel Regression and Post-stratification) model, based on polling of more than 10,000 Britons, put Labour on 126 seats. This is a loss of 285 seats from Sir Keir Starmer's loveless landslide win in last year's general election, and leaves them with fewer than half as many seats as Reform. The research put the Tories on 81 seats, down 40 seats from last year, with the Liberal Democrats on 73 seats (up one seat) and the SNP on 42 seats (up 33 seats). Meanwhile, as Sir Keir marks one year in Downing Street this weekend, the poll found the Prime Minister's personal approval rating had slumped to an all-time low of -43. More In Common's projection showed a majority of Cabinet ministers would lose their seats in the face of a Reform surge. This includes Deputy PM Angela Rayner, Chancellor Rachel Reeves, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, and Health Secretary Wes Streeting. More recently, US President Donald Trump advised the UK Prime Minister to slash taxes and immigration if he wanted to beat Farage at the next election. In an hour-long broadcast encounter, with no awkwardness of playing one politican off against the other, Trump also urged Starmer to take a strong approach when it came to immigration. Full of praise for the Prime Minister and the way he was running the country, despite their ideological differences, Trump said Sir Keir was 'liberal ..but not too liberal' in his approach. Mr Trump added: 'I think the one that's toughest and most competent on immigration is going to win the election, but then you add… low taxes, and you add the economy. '(Sir Keir) did a great thing with the economy, because a lot of money is going to come in because of the deal that was made. But I think that, I think that immigration is now bigger than ever before.' The president had earlier told Sir Keir Britain and the rest of Europe it must stop illegal immigration to avoid 'ruin' as the two leaders met in Scotland. Farage was not present at Trump's visit.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Elon Musk's X says Online Safety Act that requires users to provide ID to show they are over 18 is 'putting free speech at risk'
Elon Musk 's X has warned that the Online Safety Act, which requires users to prove their age, is 'putting free speech at risk'. The new rules, seen by watchdogs as a way to protect children online, have sparked a furious backlash from thousands of users. The act forces platforms like Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, and X, along with sites hosting pornography, to implement strict age verification measures to prove users are over 18. But critics are outraged, arguing that age checks are blocking access to large parts of the internet that have no business being grouped with adult content. To use platforms like X, users must surrender personal details such as credit card information, ID, or even facial scans, leading many to bypass the system altogether. X has now joined the chorus of criticism, warning that unless the act is amended to be more 'balanced', 'free speech will suffer'. The uproar has already seen nearly half a million people signing a petition demanding the act be scrapped as the n umber of users searches for VPN surged since the changes came into force. But a government spokesperson has dismissed these concerns, calling the claim that the law compromises free speech as 'demonstrably false,' insisting that it is 'not designed to censor political debate'. Critics argue that age checks are blocking access to large parts of the internet that have no business being grouped with adult content The dispute reached a fever pitch earlier this week when a senior Labour minister accused Reform's Nigel Farage of aligning with 'sick paedophiles' like Jimmy Savile during the ongoing clash over the law. Technology Secretary Peter Kyle went even further, accusing Farage of siding with 'extreme pornographers' over Reform UK's vow to scrap the act. Mr Farage labelled the comments 'disgusting' and demanded an apology, however Mr Kyle later doubled down on his remarks. Now X has joined the list of critics, saying: 'When lawmakers approved these measures, they made a conscientious decision to increase censorship in the name of 'online safety.' 'It is fair to ask if UK citizens were equally aware of the trade-off being made.' The platform claims the timeframe in which they were given to meet mandatory measures had been unnecessarily tight - and despite complying, sites still faced threats of enforcement and fines, 'encouraging over-censorship'. Adding: 'A balanced approach is the only way to protect individual liberties, encourage innovation and safeguard children. 'It's safe to say that significant changes must take place to achieve these objectives in the UK.' Peter Kyle also accused the Reform UK leader Nigel Farage of being on the side of 'extreme pornographers' over the party's pledge to scrap the Online Safety Act Critics including Mr Farage claim that the law is being used to stifle free speech by blocking people from seeing some controversial political statements online Nearly half a million people have signed a petition against the Online Safety Act Ofcom said this week it had launched investigations into 34 pornography sites for new age-check requirements. It comes as Spotify users were left furious after they were told their accounts were at risk of being deleted if they fail to verify their age when trying to access videos marked 18+, with some urging users to stop using it. One user questioned: 'How old do you have to be to listen to music?', while another declared: 'I think I'm deleting payments to any company that ever sends me something like this.' Previously, campaign group, Big Brother Watch, also warned of the 'catastrophic effect on free speech online' that the Ofcom legislation could have with 'intrusive new age checks to access a range of websites'. Xbox have also followed suit, announcing they too will be investing in technologies and tools to ensure players have age-appropriate experiences on their platform, while sending notifications to UK users to verify their age. A Government spokesperson said: 'It is demonstrably false that the Online Safety Act compromises free speech. 'As well as legal duties to keep children safe, the very same law places clear and unequivocal duties on platforms to protect freedom of expression. Failure to meet either obligation can lead to severe penalties, including fines of up to 10% of global revenue or £18 million, whichever is greater. 'The Act is not designed to censor political debate and does not require platforms to age gate any content other than those which present the most serious risks to children such as pornography or suicide and self-harm content. 'Platforms have had several months to prepare for this law. It is a disservice to their users to hide behind deadlines as an excuse for failing to properly implement it.'
Spectator
2 hours ago
- Spectator
Online Safety Act: are Labour or the Tories worse on free speech?
Is the Online Safety Act protecting children – or threatening free speech? Michael Simmons hosts John Power, who writes the Spectator's cover piece this week on how the Act has inadvertently created online censorship. Implemented and defended by the current Labour government, it is actually the result of legislation passed by the Conservatives in 2023 – which Labour did not support at the time, arguing it didn't go far enough. Michael and John joined by former Conservative MP Miriam Cates who defends the core aims and principles at the heart of the Act. They debate the principles of Big Tech, the risks of government overreach and whether freedom of expression is under threat. Produced by Megan McElroy and Patrick Gibbons.
