Zack Polanski has said he intends to stand in a London constituency at the next general election, confirming he is considering Tottenham, Hackney or Walthamstow – a move that could see him take on some of Labour’s most senior figures.
Speaking to The Times correspondent Daisy Eastlake, the Green Party leader said he would “definitely be running for MP somewhere in that area”, citing the proximity to where he lives and the ease of travelling between constituencies by bike.
“I’d definitely consider Hackney, but also Walthamstow, Tottenham, kind of round about where I live,” he said. “I think London’s interesting in that way because on my bike you can be in any of those constituencies within about ten minutes of cycling.”
The decision means Polanski could face a high-profile contest against Labour heavyweights including David Lammy, the current MP for Tottenham, Meg Hillier in Hackney South and Shoreditch, Diane Abbott in Hackney North and Stoke Newington, or Stella Creasy in Walthamstow.
All four seats are considered safe Labour territory, meaning a Green breakthrough would represent a significant upset. Polling on the party’s prospects in London remains mixed. Electoral Calculus modelling has suggested the Greens could win as many as 29 of the capital’s 75 parliamentary seats under certain scenarios, pointing to potential urban gains. However, a YouGov projection published in September predicted the party would fail to secure any London constituencies.
Polanski’s intervention signals an increasingly ambitious strategy from the Greens, who are seeking to build on growing support in metropolitan areas and position themselves as the primary challenger to Labour on the progressive left.
Whether that translates into electoral success against entrenched Labour majorities in north London, however, remains an open question.