Zack Polanski has been elected as the new leader of the Green Party, after winning a landslide victory in the contest.
Mr Polanski received 20,411 votes from the party membership, while Ellie Chowns and Adrian Ramsay’s joint campaign received just 3,705 votes.
It comes as the Green Party seeks to pitch itself as a serious progressive alternative to Labour, having increased its Commons representation to four MPs last year.
Throughout a sometimes fractious campaign, Mr Polanski has urged the Greens to be “bold” and pushed what he brands an “eco-populist” agenda, while his rivals emphasised a need to appeal to a wide range of voters.
Mr Ramsay, the incumbent co-leader and MP for Waveney Valley, and North Herefordshire MP Ms Chowns have accused him of using “polarising” language that only appeals to a “narrow segment” of the electorate.
Voting ran until August 30, with anyone who had joined the party by the end of July eligible to cast a ballot.
Mr Polanski’s insurgent campaign had encouraged people to sign up to the Greens ahead of the vote, leading to accusations of “entryism” from some of his opponents – accusations he has denied.
Unlike other parties, the Greens hold leadership elections every two years.
This year’s contest was to have been held in 2024, after Mr Ramsay and his co-leader Carla Denyer were elected for an extraordinary three-year term in 2021, but the poll was delayed in order to avoid a clash with the general election.
Ms Denyer decided not to stand for re-election in May this year.
More to follow…
