Zack Polanski: Corbyn's true heir?

Zack Polanski: Corbyn's true heir?

From The Politics Show by The New Statesman

May 5, 2026 · 24 min

About this episode

Ailbhe Rea discusses Zack Polanski's rise in the Green Party and his potential as a left-wing leader.

Crowds of young people chant his name but the Green leader is "nervous", says Ailbhe Rea. -- A year ago, Zack Polanksi was relatively unknown. Now, he's leading an "eco-populist" movement that has revitalised the Green Party and looks likely to propel a left-wing surge in the May local elections. Ailbhe Rea profiled the Green leader for the New Statesman, meeting him shortly after he'd been addressing young activists. She found a "sweet, slightly nervous" man who admits he still has much to learn about running a political party. Here Ailbhe speaks to Anoosh Chakelian about Zack Polanski's political position, his unusual background, and the lessons he might learn from Jeremy Corbyn. LISTEN NEXT: Attacks on Jews are an indictment of Keir Starmer's Britain READ: Zack Polanski is still learning LISTEN AD-FREE: 📱 Download the New Statesman app MORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN: ❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday ⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning ✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Host: Ailbhe Rea

Guest: Zack Polanski

Topics covered

  • eco-populism
  • Green Party
  • political leadership
  • youth activism
  • left-wing politics

Keywords

  • Zack Polanski
  • Green Party
  • Ailbhe Rea
  • Jeremy Corbyn
  • eco-populism
  • May local elections
  • youth activism

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Green Party, New Statesman

Places: Britain

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