The Guardian

Wednesday briefing: How Zack Polanski’s populist takeover could change the Green party forever


In today’s newsletter: The leftwing candidate crushed rivals Adrian Ramsay and Ellie Chowns. Will his leadership take the party to new heights – or risk alienating hard-won moderates?

Good morning. After a bruising leadership contest, Zack Polanski didn’t just win the Green party vote, he cleaned up. His “eco-populist” platform – which borrowed directly from Nigel Farage’s playbook – earned him 85% of votes.

Polanski defeated Adrian Ramsay and Ellie Chowns, winning 20,411 votes relative to their 3,705 in a ballot of party members. The contest exposed deeper questions about Green party identity and how it positions itself amid a rapidly shifting political landscape.

UK news | Britain’s long-term borrowing costs have hit their highest level in 27 years, intensifying the pressure on the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, before the autumn budget.

Spain | Europe and western countries’ double standards over the wars in Ukraine and Gaza threaten to undermine their global standing, the Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has warned.

Brazil | Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro and seven of his allies, including four senior members of the military, have gone on trial for allegedly attempting to stage a coup.

China | Xi Jinping warned the world faced a choice between peace or war as he capped a week of diplomatic grandstanding with China’s largest-ever military parade, flanked by Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un.

UK news | Esther Ghey, the mother of the murdered teenager Brianna Ghey, and the Oscar-winning actor Kate Winslet are calling on Keir Starmer to legally ban smartphones in schools.

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Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/sep/03/wednesday-briefing-how-zack-polanskis-populist-takeover-could-change-the-green-party-forever

Author : Phoebe Weston

Publish date : 2025-09-03 05:45:00

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Tags : The Guardian