# Polanski under pressure after Green by-election loss

> The Green Party leader faces calls to resign after losing the Holborn and St Pancras seat and missing a controversial vote on Zionism.
- Title: Polanski under pressure after Green by-election loss
- Summary: The Green Party leader faces calls to resign after losing the Holborn and St Pancras seat and missing a controversial vote on Zionism. Zack Polanski, Green…
- Keywords: zack polanski, green party, holborn and st pancras, by-election, zionism motion, vivien lichtenstein, caroline lucas, sagal abdi-wali, leadership crisis, politics, news, Polanski
- Source: The Independent — https://independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/zack-polanski-resign-green-party-holborn-st-pancras-green-labour-b3064077.html
- Published: 2026-10-09T18:30:25+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: zack polanski, green party, holborn and st pancras, by-election, zionism motion, vivien lichtenstein, caroline lucas, sagal abdi-wali, leadership crisis, politics, news
## Polanski loses seat, faces pressure
Zack Polanski, Green Party leader, failed to win the Holborn and St Pancras by-election seat. Senior party figures are now calling for him to resign.
## He missed a crucial party vote
While campaigning in the by-election, Polanski missed a conference vote endorsing a policy calling for Israel to be abolished and replaced with a single Palestinian state.
## Jewish Greens leader calls for resignation
Vivien Lichtenstein, chair of the Jewish Greens, said Polanski made a big mistake by missing the debate and should have voted online from a quiet place.

> I think he should resign.
## Former leader criticises his leadership
Caroline Lucas, the Green Party's first MP, said Polanski should have been at the vote and should have voted. She accused him of a failure in leadership.

> He should have been there and he should have voted.
## Labour wins with clear majority
Sagal Abdi-Wali won the seat for Labour with forty-five percent of the vote to the Greens' thirty-three percent, a majority of three thousand three hundred sixty-four.
## Polling shows public wants him out
YouGov polling conducted on Friday found thirty-four percent of voters think Polanski should quit as leader, compared with just twenty percent who think he should remain.
## Polanski says members will decide
Polanski insisted he can carry on as party leader and acknowledged that ultimately Green members would decide his fate at a scheduled leadership vote next year.

> Of course I can carry on.
## He now says he disagrees with motion
Polanski admitted he does not agree with the Zionism motion. He said he would have supported it as amended but it was not amended, so he would have voted against it.

> I would have supported the motion as amended. It wasn't amended, so no.
## Senior Greens say situation is untenable
A senior party source told The Independent there is growing frustration with Polanski for missing the vote and warned he risks alienating both sides of his party.

> Most senior Greens recognise the situation is not tenable.
## Expert says defeat alone does not warrant exit
Polling expert Sir John Curtice said the Greens achieved their second-best parliamentary by-election performance and the defeat alone should not raise questions about Polanski's position.
## Party peer defends Polanski's tenure
Jenny Jones, the party's first ever member in the House of Lords, said Polanski has another year of his two-year term to serve and the Greens do not depose leaders by gossip.

> We don't depose leaders by gossip and criticism.
## Key takeaway

Zack Polanski, Green Party leader, is under mounting pressure to resign after losing a by-election and missing a party conference vote on a motion declaring Zionism a form of racism.