Green Party leader urged to ‘come clean’ over claim to be British Red Cross spokesperson

Politics
6 May 2026 • 3:34 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

Green Party leader urged to ‘come clean’ over claim to be British Red Cross spokesperson

  • Zack Polanski, the Green Party leader, is facing calls to "come clean" after allegedly falsely claiming to be a British Red Cross spokesman during his 2022 campaign for deputy leader.
  • Labour has accused Polanski of not being "straight with the public", citing this incident alongside previous controversies and questioning his credibility ahead of crucial local elections.
  • The claim, made on the crowdfunding website Crowdfunder, said that Polanski was a "spokesperson for the British Red Cross," a charity he has supported but for which he was never an official representative.
  • Polanski's approval ratings have recently fallen by 14 points following a social media post criticising police officers during an arrest in Golders Green, drawing condemnation from politicians and the Metropolitan Police Commissioner.
  • The Green Party is also facing accusations of antisemitism, with Labour claiming to have evidence against 25 local election candidates; the Greens say they are investigating and strengthening vetting procedures.

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