top of page
Search

Keeping Up with the Greens: a New Kind of Politician, Defections and the Death of Two-Party Politics

Anyone paying attention to UK politics will undoubtably be aware of the Green Party’s recent rise in popularity. Membership has skyrocketed and the party, which was once largely ignored by the media, has become a regular feature in headlines and a more prominent player in policy discussions.

 

So, what has led to this surge… and what are we seeing as a result?

 


A New Party Leader and a New Type of Politician

The majority of the Greens’ recent success is being attributed to the most obvious change: the new party leader, Zack Polanski. Last year, Zack Polanski was elected party leader in a landslide vote, beating Green MPs Adrian Ramsey and Ellie Chowns by 20411 votes to 3705.

 

But why has Polanski proved so popular? Professor of Culture and Political theory, Jeremy Gilbert, described the current Greens as filling a vacuum in British politics, “a space that needed to be occupied by somebody who could articulate publicly a fairly standard … social-democratic position framed in populist terms”. And, as deputy leader, Rachel Millward explained, Polanski is undeniably a ‘standout communicator’. His clear, unapologetic communication and commitment to tackling inequality has resonated with a demographic increasingly anxious about the cost-of-living crisis and the rise of the far right. Some have even gone as far as to describe him as ‘the Farage of the left’, with both politicians building momentum in a changing and unpredictable political and media landscape. Polanski himself told Sky News, “I despise Nigel Farage's politics and disagree with him on almost everything, but I think his storytelling has undoubtedly cut through and so yes there has been a huge part of us saying 'If Farage can do that with a politics of hate and division, then it's time for the Green Party to do that with a politics of hope and community' and that's absolutely what I intend to keep doing."

 

 

Polling and Membership

Polanski’s popularity has been demonstrated in recent polls and membership surges. As of the end of January, the Green Party now has over 190,000 members. This has overtaken the Conservatives and is more than two and a half times the number it had when Polanski announced he would be running for leader in May 2025.

 

In October, polling on voting intention showed the Green Party level pegging with Labour at 15%. As part of his leadership campaign, Polanski said the Greens were hoping to win 30-40 MPs. In more recent interviews, he has revealed that the Greens intend to expand their target seats, with The New Stateman finding 50 seats to be up for contest. The question now is: do they have the resources and the people on the ground to match their ambition?

 

 

Shedding The Reputation of a Single-Issue Party

For a long time now, the Greens have been trying to shed their reputation as a single-issue party. What began as ‘The Ecology party’ is now being described by Polanski as ‘eco-populist’. He has made clear that, as leader, he wants the party to focus on the broader issues of the left, beyond simply the matter of climate change, and is conscious to ground environmentalism within the wider struggle for economic and social justice (you can read more about our own climate justice work here).

 

Polanski very much echoes the attitude among Green party members, with 91% believing that it is important for the party to offer policies on a range of issues. Although unsurprisingly, YouGov polling shows the environment to be the most important issue to Green members, it also shows an increasing concern around health (with 49% including it in their top 3 issues facing the country), housing (at 39%), and the economy (at 32%). Reflecting this, the party is calling for the taxing of billionaires, raising minimum wage to £15, increasing Universal Credit, and defending the NHS against privatisation, among their climate measures.

 

 

Defections and the Death of Two-Party Politics

The rise of the Green Party, as well as the rise of Reform, directly coincides with the plummet of support for Labour and the Conservatives. The same poll in October that showed the Greens polling with their highest percentage ever, showed Labour on their lowest figure ever recorded.

 

Alongside this, the Greens have taken in a wave of councillor defections from Labour. On the same day in December, 5 Brent Labour councillors quit the party and defected to the Greens, citing Starmer’s lack of ambition to deliver change and criticising Labour for “copying far-right policy and rhetoric on migration” and “silencing internal debate”. This defection has been mirrored amongst members, as Jeremy Gilbert explains: “a lot of people, especially young people, who had been active in the Labour party under Corbyn, went into the Green party”. This exodus of both councillors and members has picked up pace since the general election, as individuals have become disillusioned with Labour and their shift to the right on issues such as migration under Starmer’s leadership. A similar pattern of defection can be seen from the Conservatives to Reform, with high-profile MPs Suella Braverman and Robert Jenrick both jumping ship in the last couple of weeks.

 

So, with Labour and the Conservatives no longer dominating in the polls, an uptick in party defections, and the end of long-held ‘safe’ seats, it begs the question: are we seeing the death of Britain’s two-party politics? Certainly, the political spectrum of the country is widening. When voters no longer feel like they have to be tactical, will we see a more radical or more fragmented political system emerge?

 

One thing is clear; the Greens are looking like a more and more viable option, and Zack Polanski is leading the charge.

 

 

 

 

References

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

bottom of page