ByLaura Kuenssberg Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg "I'm having the best time ever," Zack Polanski tells me.It's not hard to see why the Green Party leader for England and Wales is enjoying himself, a lot.The size of the party has ballooned to more than 100,000 members. It's within touching distance of Labour in some polls, even ahead in one survey by pollster Find Out Now. And the Gorton and Denton by-election in Greater Manchester to replace former Labour MP Andrew Gwynne has landed the Greens a prize opportunity to show what they can do."This will be the most throwing-the-kitchen-sink-at-it by-election that we have ever done," says one Green MP, boasting of 30,000 leaflets being delivered already, and hundreds of activists descending on the constituency this weekend. Why do the Greens seem to be on a roll?A new party boss with a new style has certainly made a big difference. Colleagues speak warmly of the self-described eco-populist's "huge energy and passion" and his "immediacy and authenticity". Another says the public "don't see how kind a soul he is… he just really cares".One staffer highlights his mastery of a skill that's always been a huge plus for politicians: remembering people's names and stories, whether he's having a cup of tea one on one (always with oat milk, if available, I'm told), throwing questionable…
Published: January 31, 2026 1:41 pm
Source: BBC — Read original