Green Party leader Zack Polanski is attempting a political tightrope walk: courting supporters of the right-wing Reform Party, despite stark disagreements on immigration. He believes the anger fueling their votes isn’t about borders, but about a broken system.
On migration – a consistently top issue for Reform voters – Polanski stands in sharp contrast to Nigel Farage. Where the Reform leader advocates for “mass deportations” and views immigration as damaging to Britain, Polanski sees it as a positive force.
Despite this divide, Polanski is convinced he can win over Reform supporters by shifting the focus from immigration to broader economic anxieties. He argues that the cost of living crisis, wage stagnation, and lack of affordable housing are the real drivers of discontent.
It’s an uphill battle, given the country’s increasingly hardened stance on immigration and recent public anger over the use of hotels to house asylum seekers, as seen in protests in Epping.
Polanski’s strategy hinges on redirecting that anger towards what he sees as the true culprits: billionaires, large corporations, and the establishment. His recent trip to Calais was a key part of this effort.
Last week, Polanski visited the French town, once home to the “Jungle” refugee camp – demolished in 2016 – to challenge what he calls “misinformation” surrounding the small boats crisis.
“I think when people have a reality of it, I think the majority of people are actually compassionate,” he said. “They just want to make sure that our system is fair and it’s transparent.”
Polanski has now surpassed 100 days as Green Party leader, a period coinciding with a shift in the party’s fortunes and direction. Formerly known primarily as an environmental party, the Greens are now increasingly focused on social and cultural issues.
These issues – including migration, transgender rights, and what some within the party fear is alienating “eco-populism” – are often divisive, particularly in rural areas.
Polanski’s shift in focus has been attributed to a strategy of appealing to disaffected Labour voters. Recent polls show the Greens nearly neck and neck with Labour – at 16% and 18% respectively – with several councillors defecting in recent months.
However, when it comes to Reform voters, Polanski believes he can connect by addressing the underlying anger driving their support.
“A Reform voter is very different to a Reform MP, and I have a lot more time for them if they’re thinking about voting Reform, because these are the exact people I want to reach out to – to say that your problems are not caused by migration.
“And so what I want to say to those Reform voters is I get your anger, and in many ways your right to be angry. But let’s not fuel that anger. Let’s make sure that we’re challenging power and wealth. And I’m actually your ally in that.”
The Fairness Factor
At the heart of the debate over migration lies a British sense of fairness. Reform’s leader believes it’s unfair that British taxpayer money funds accommodation for asylum seekers, arguing that British citizens are the true victims – not migrants.
Polanski counters that the unfairness lies in the use of taxpayer money on what he sees as futile efforts to prevent vulnerable people from seeking safe haven in Britain. He points to the £476 million given to French authorities “on the militarisation of Calais” to deter migrants from crossing the Channel, arguing that money should be spent on housing.
“That money should be spent on building homes. Yes, for British people and council homes. But also we don’t need to pit our housing crisis in the UK against a crisis of a relatively small amount of people who are desperately in need.”
Polanski’s differing perspective became particularly clear when asked what he would say to those in Britain who lack sympathy for those attempting to reach the UK via small boats.
He responded: “I think we need to make racism unacceptable again.”
When pressed on whether he considered those who don’t share his sympathy as racist, he elaborated: “Well, I think it depends on the context, but we know lots of people have open arms and homes to Ukrainian refugees, as they absolutely should. They’re also fleeing a humanitarian war zone. But you can’t help but notice that Ukrainian refugees have been accepted. But where is that same kindness and compassion to human beings from Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Eritrea?”
Critics are likely to view this as a revealing moment.
Read more:
The ‘eco-populist’ who wants to be the Farage of the Left
Will Farage racism allegations deter voters?
‘Dissatisfied, Distrusting, and Disapproving’
How can Polanski win over Reform voters when polls consistently show public desire for reduced immigration?
Joe Twyman, co-founder and director at Deltapoll, is skeptical about Polanski’s ability to change the minds of passionate Reform voters. However, he suggests that the blurring of traditional left-right divides creates some overlap between the Greens and Reform.
“There are Reform voters who are going with Reform, if you like, as a default, because they’re dissatisfied, distrusting, and disapproving of other political parties – particularly the larger parties of the government.
“And so those people could be wooed to the Greens if they think that Zack Polanski is a more palatable for them as leader, and the policies are more acceptable to them.”
Against a backdrop of cost of living pressures and decades of hardening public attitudes towards migration, Polanski faces a significant challenge in shifting public opinion.
Critics will likely accuse Polanski of being unrealistic, but in an era defined by personality politics and social media, perhaps the narrative – and how it’s told – matters more than the facts themselves.
