In May, Green Party leader Zack Polanski declared that two party politics was “dead and buried” as the party celebrated a historic local election result. The same seemed true after Hannah Spencer’s titanic success in Gorton and Denton, consigning Labour to an embarrassing third place in a historically safe seat. However, just recently, Zack Polanski failed to win the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, losing comfortably to Labour candidate Sagal Abdi-Wali.
The key driver of this abrupt change in fortunes has been the new PM Andy Burnham and how he has breathed life back into the Labour Party. His bolder rhetoric coinciding with a leftward lurch in policy has been Labour’s most valuable tool in reclaiming the younger, progressive vote back from the Greens.
Burnham spoke passionately at the Labour party conference last week about left-wing policies like the need for a state-funded national care service, electoral reform, and a new long-term relationship with the EU. What he didn’t mention was the fact that these were all existing Green Party policies. The same can be said about Labour’s recent and popular sanctions on Israeli settlements and settlers committing ethnic cleansing in the West Bank. By pivoting Labour to occupy a more traditionally Green, left-wing space, Burnham is beckoning back voters who felt disillusioned by Starmer’s wet flannel brand of centre-left politics.
He also challenges Polanski’s throne as the king of left-wing social media. Andy Burnham’s TikTok account posts refined shorts, which, despite receiving occasional criticism for trivial content like rating pub snacks, are highly effective pieces of political communication that reach millions and make him seem more relatable.
This wouldn’t have been so damaging if Polanski hadn’t been letting standards slip recently. For example, he made a careless mistake in July, reposting an image of someone wearing a t-shirt featuring a guillotine and the slogan “we’re only making plans for Nigel,” which he then had to apologise for. The party has also faced issues with antisemitism accusations thanks to some recent posts by members. When looking at Burnham’s newfound popularity and the Green party’s recent blunders, the Greens’ position as the social media savvy Gen-Z party no longer seems as secure.
Perhaps the Greens’ progress has been stifled. However, they are by no means completely defeated. Even without holding power, the Greens can still pressure Labour to shift leftwards, something proudly championed by Polanski at the Green Party conference on 2 October. They also remain solid and committed to their historic environmental commitments (like net zero by 2040) which allows them to occupy a unique space, especially as Labour still deliberates over North Sea oil and gas drilling.
The Greens now need to pray they can bounce back following Polanski’s by-election loss which was certainly a considerable setback for the party’s legitimacy. However, with effective Labour leadership like Burnham, their prospects as the standout party of the left may only be looking darker.
“Official portrait of Andy Burnham MP 2026 (cropped 3×4) 2” by © House of Commons is licensed under CC BY 3.0.
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Burnham is putting the brakes on the Green Party’s popularity
In May, Green Party leader Zack Polanski declared that two party politics was “dead and buried” as the party celebrated a historic local election result. The same seemed true after Hannah Spencer’s titanic success in Gorton and Denton, consigning Labour to an embarrassing third place in a historically safe seat. However, just recently, Zack Polanski failed to win the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, losing comfortably to Labour candidate Sagal Abdi-Wali.
The key driver of this abrupt change in fortunes has been the new PM Andy Burnham and how he has breathed life back into the Labour Party. His bolder rhetoric coinciding with a leftward lurch in policy has been Labour’s most valuable tool in reclaiming the younger, progressive vote back from the Greens.
Burnham spoke passionately at the Labour party conference last week about left-wing policies like the need for a state-funded national care service, electoral reform, and a new long-term relationship with the EU. What he didn’t mention was the fact that these were all existing Green Party policies. The same can be said about Labour’s recent and popular sanctions on Israeli settlements and settlers committing ethnic cleansing in the West Bank. By pivoting Labour to occupy a more traditionally Green, left-wing space, Burnham is beckoning back voters who felt disillusioned by Starmer’s wet flannel brand of centre-left politics.
He also challenges Polanski’s throne as the king of left-wing social media. Andy Burnham’s TikTok account posts refined shorts, which, despite receiving occasional criticism for trivial content like rating pub snacks, are highly effective pieces of political communication that reach millions and make him seem more relatable.
This wouldn’t have been so damaging if Polanski hadn’t been letting standards slip recently. For example, he made a careless mistake in July, reposting an image of someone wearing a t-shirt featuring a guillotine and the slogan “we’re only making plans for Nigel,” which he then had to apologise for. The party has also faced issues with antisemitism accusations thanks to some recent posts by members. When looking at Burnham’s newfound popularity and the Green party’s recent blunders, the Greens’ position as the social media savvy Gen-Z party no longer seems as secure.
Perhaps the Greens’ progress has been stifled. However, they are by no means completely defeated. Even without holding power, the Greens can still pressure Labour to shift leftwards, something proudly championed by Polanski at the Green Party conference on 2 October. They also remain solid and committed to their historic environmental commitments (like net zero by 2040) which allows them to occupy a unique space, especially as Labour still deliberates over North Sea oil and gas drilling.
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The Greens now need to pray they can bounce back following Polanski’s by-election loss which was certainly a considerable setback for the party’s legitimacy. However, with effective Labour leadership like Burnham, their prospects as the standout party of the left may only be looking darker.
“Official portrait of Andy Burnham MP 2026 (cropped 3×4) 2” by © House of Commons is licensed under CC BY 3.0.
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