Polanski ‘tempted’ to challenge Starmer for parliamentary seat

Zack Polanski has said it would be “tempting” to challenge Keir Starmer for his parliamentary seat.

Green Party leader Polanski, who is a member of the London Assembly but not an MP, was asked about a poll that suggested his party could take the Prime Minister’s Holborn and St Pancras seat and whether he would be interested in taking him on.

“It would be very tempting to take Keir Starmer down,” he told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme.

“But actually what I’m doing right now is really focusing on, right across England and Wales, growing the Green Party.

“We’ve just hit 175,000 members.”

The party has seen a membership surge, with more than 100,000 people joining since the self-described eco-populist took the reins at the beginning of September.

He said: “I’m tempted to take on any Labour MP that’s a disaster, and ultimately replace them with a better MP who will stand for people and planet, rather than vested interests.”

The Green Party secured a defection from Labour this week, with former MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle joining.

The former Brighton Kemptown MP, who did not stand in the 2024 election, said Labour has “left behind” millions of people who want to see change.

Polanski backs scrapping two-child benefit cap

Polanski also said scrapping the two-child benefit cap in the Budget would be a “victory” but urged the Chancellor to go further and “tax the rich”.

He told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme: “It’s absolutely outrageous it has taken the Labour Government so long to do it, but if they do do it, that’ll be a victory and I’ll celebrate it.

“More widely though, we know that this Chancellor will keep talking about tough choices, but they always seem to be tough choices for people out of work or working people who are working really hard while their wages aren’t going up but food prices are going up, for disabled people.

“When are we going to see tough choices for multi-millionaires and billionaires?

“It’s time to tax the rich.”

Press Association