Zack Polanski’s popularity plummets following row with police chief over his Golders Green response
Zack Polanski’s popularity ratings have taken a massive hit days before crucial local elections following a row with the Metropolitan Police chief over a post he shared about the Golders Green arrest.
The new poll showed the Green Party leader’s net approval rating fell 14 points after he was publicly criticized by Sir Mark Rowley last week.
In a rare intervention, Sir Mark blasted Mr Polanski for sharing an “inaccurate” post on
Mr Polanski has faced criticism from his own party as well as the prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, who branded him a “disgrace” and “unfit to lead any political party”.
Mr Polanski apologized for the post on Friday, but days later said the commissioner’s move to publish an open letter was “not an appropriate way to do politics” and added that police should not be immune from scrutiny.
It seems that this ordeal has caused his popularity ratings to plummet; Days before the Greens are expected to make big gains in Thursday’s local elections, there is bad news for the party and its leader.
Data from More in Common suggested Mr Polanski’s net approval rating fell 14 points to minus 27 last week, leaving him below Kemi Badenoch, Nigel Farage and Ed Davey.
Luke Tryl, UK director of More in Common, said that while there was no doubt Mr Polanski had “inspired” some voters, he had seen a significant drop this week.
“Last week his net approval rating fell 14 points,” he said. “And based on our focus group discussions, the response from Golders Green and the ensuing retweets, apologies and criticism from other political parties certainly appears to have worked.”
He added that the Green Party’s image, associated with “politics for good”, may have been damaged by the ordeal.
Mr Tryl said: “I think the association [of] “Some of what the Green candidates have said about antisemitism, and perhaps Zack Polanski not being seen as strong enough on Golders Green, or his reactions to the police and the reactions from Starmer and others, are making some people think twice.”
However, the Greens are expected to be one of this week’s big winners as they head to the polls with “real momentum”, particularly in some London boroughs where they could destroy Labour’s historic stronghold in the city.
Mr Tryl said: “If the Greens do well at the election – which we expect them to do with Reformation – this is normally a case of the strong horse theory causing people to change their approval.”
Both Reform and the Greens are predicted to be big winners in this week’s polls, as opinion polls show increasing discontent for both Labor and the Conservatives.
The Greens are expected to do well in London and are on track to gain minority control of six boroughs in the capital, possibly even taking over Hackney entirely. Mr Polanski’s party is also doing well in the polls in Hastings, where it does not currently have overall control and is understood to be targeting the seat.
