UK Green Party leader loses parliamentary election

Zack Polanski, leader of the UK Green Party, lost the parliamentary election for the Holborn and St Pancras seat in London, vacated by outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Polanski came second behind Labour candidate Sagal Abdi-Wali. The loss comes amid the party's decision this week that "Zionism is racism." Polanski publicly addressed the decision for the first time, stating he believes there is an "ongoing genocide" against Palestinians. He made clear he does not intend to resign from his position.

Zack Polanski, leader of the UK Green Party, lost the parliamentary election for the Holborn and St Pancras seat in London, vacated by outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Polanski came second in the race, behind Labour candidate Sagal Abdi-Wali, who won the seat with 12,292 votes (45.17% of the vote) compared to 8,928 votes for Polanski (32.81%). The loss comes against the backdrop of the party's decision earlier this week that "Zionism is racism," which passed with a majority of 56% to 44%, with 1,835 out of more than 200,000 party members participating. After the loss, Polanski publicly addressed the decision for the first time. He said he grew up in a Zionist home, but now believes there is an "ongoing genocide" against Palestinians and that Zionism is "unequivocally racism." He was asked about the concerns of the Jewish community and distinguished between antisemitism and criticism of Israel. Polanski made clear he does not intend to resign as party leader, saying the campaign allowed the party to present its values. Abdi-Wali, who won, will be the first black woman in the role. She was born in Somalia and came to the UK as a war refugee in the 1990s.