Zack Polanski, born in Salford in 1982, is a British politician and activist. Raised in a Jewish family, he reclaimed his ancestral surname at 18. Before politics, he worked in many fields: theatre, youth work and mental health. His career path reflects an interest in people, culture, and communication, skills he later
brought into public life.
Polanski joined the Green Party in 2017, attracted by its focus on climate and social justice. In 2021, he was elected to the London Assembly, and in 2022, he became Deputy Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, winning more than half the vote in a contested election.
Polanski's clear message combining environmental justice with social justice won him the 2025 Green Party leadership campaign with a mandate of 85%.
Since then, he's gone from strength-to-strength, with rarely a day going by where he doesn't dominate the news in some form or
other - whilst always aiming to bring hope back to UK politics.