Nigel Farage unleashes full fury on Zack Polanski over maddening plot | UK | News
As millions of Britons prepare to watch the Grand National at Aintree tomorrow, the Green Party leader has reportedly chosen this week to call for horse racing to be wiped from the sporting calendar altogether – earning him the ire of UK Reform leader Nigel Farage, among others.
The Express understands Polanski, 43, wants to shut down the £4bn industry despite its deep roots in British sporting culture. It goes far beyond his own party’s stance; The Greens’ official policy restricts itself to banning the whip and remaining abolished.
This call is one of the astounding positions held by the Greens leadership candidate, who also wants to legalize heroin, decriminalize cocaine and prostitution, introduce a tax on dog ownership, eliminate the Trident’s nuclear deterrent, close all zoos and abolish the Church of England.
Polanski, born David Paulden, argued that horse racing constituted cruelty to animals and called for all equestrian disciplines to be removed from the Olympic programme. In a post about X in 2024, he wrote: “Let’s go further and eliminate all sports animals.”
Her veganism shapes more than just her diet. In 2018, she followed American musician JMSN on social media and asked him to redesign his clothing line after seeing a horse on one of his t-shirts.
“You’re one of my favorite artists of all time and these t-shirts are great, but as a vegan I’m not too keen on wearing horse riding gear. Rethink your logo please?” wrote.
Farage responded
Nigel Farage unceremoniously dismissed the Green leader’s stance and used the word “petulant” to describe what he heard.
“The idea of banning horse racing is utterly ridiculous,” he said. “Horse racing is an integral part of our British heritage, a sport that supports tens of thousands of jobs, rural communities and generations of tradition.
“It is also deeply ironic that Polanski, a party leader who seems happy to legalize just about anything, is so keen to ban one of Britain’s most historic and beloved sports.”
Conservative MP Nick Timothy, who represents the town of Newmarket at the heart of British racing, was equally dismissive.
“This is Zack Polanski’s extreme lunacy. He’s not the only one. The Labor Government risks taxing and regulating racing,” he said.
What’s at stake?
Few sports touch British life more than racing, second only to football in annual attendance numbers. British Horseracing Authority data shows the industry’s contribution to the national economy is £4.1bn and it supports the work of more than 85,000 people.
The Grand National Festival at Aintree, which opened in wet weather yesterday, boosted £60 million to the local Liverpool economy over three days. A global television audience of more than 600 million spread across 130 countries is expected to tune in, and punters in Britain alone are expected to tip £250 million on the result.
Brant Dunshea, chief executive of the British Horseracing Authority, said: “Horse racing is not only the nation’s second favorite sport, it is something deeply ingrained in our way of life. It is a sport that is richly deserving of government support.”
Sean Trivass, chairman of the Horse Racing Punters Forum, said the cruelty claim was not valid.
“From blacksmiths to hospitality staff, this multi-billion pound industry employs thousands of people. Horses are some of the best cared for animals. They have spent decades fine-tuning the sport to make it safer. I see cruelty as a bad argument. Why should we deprive millions of people of a bump they enjoy and the opportunity to socialize,” he said.
If the Greens find themselves in a position to manage, the Cheltenham Festival and Royal Ascot will join the Grand National on the endangered list.
