Can the Green party’s new leader galvanise the left?

绿党新领导人能否激励左翼力量?

Today in Focus

2025-09-03

26 分钟
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How does Zack Polanski plan to get people talking about the Green party? Peter Walker reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
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  • This is The Guardian.

  • Today, can the Green Party's new leader galvanise the left?

  • We're at Coyne Street Neighbourhood Community Centre on the South Bank,

  • which is part children's nursery, part social hub.

  • A very on-brand venue for the Green Party.

  • And of course, it's where we're about to find out who's going to be the next party leader.

  • For a party with only four MPs, the Greens represent a tiny fraction of the House of Commons.

  • And usually, they generate very little interest.

  • But this moment feels very different.

  • I think, you know, the campaign has had a lot more coverage.

  • It feels like there's a momentum and it feels like there's something that we're at the centre of the debate about what politics is for.

  • And we need to be there to make the case for all the really important issues which are being ignored by the current government.

  • The Labour Party has been spiralling,

  • sinking lower in the polls in the first year of government than any other party in modern history,

  • all the while shifting further and further to the right.

  • Many on the left are searching for a new political home.

  • And for the next leader of the Greens, this is a real opportunity to capitalise on that frustration.

  • This is the first time that the old grey parties have seemed less relevant than new parties.

  • So this is really our break point.

  • This is where we are able to actually put ourselves forward to be credible challengers in Parliament.