Zack Polanski’s four major gaffes as local elections loom

Since his election as leader of the Greens last year, Zack Polanski has seen his party soar in the polls and its membership swell.

After winning a historic victory in the Gorton and Denton by-election in February, where their candidate beat Nigel Farage’s Reform to take the seat, they are predicted to be one of the big winners in Thursday’s local elections in England.

But Mr Polanski’s popularity ratings have taken a major hit following a row with the chief of the Metropolitan Police over a post he shared about the Golders Green stabbings, with his “net approval” falling 14 points.

Here we take a look at that misstep and others:

The Greens leader has repeatedly apologised for suggesting hypnotherapy could increase breast size.

He has faced criticism since he made the controversial remark to a journalist from The Sun in 2013, before entering politics.

Asked about the article last year, when he announced his bid to stand for the party’s leadership, he expressed regret, saying he was at the time “a young Londoner who was holding down four jobs”.

“I think I saw it as a way to talk about body image and work that can happen where people don’t go under surgery, but can actually feel better about themselves,” he said. “What I’m careful about, though, is that that is not justification … I’ve apologised for it, and I stick by that apology.”

He has also said that he was misrepresented and apologised the following day, recognising it would be offensive.

However, a recently resurfaced BBC Radio Humberside interview from 18 June 2013, six days after the initial report, appears to show Mr Polanski doubling down on his theory.

“Actually increasingly more and more as I work with people, there’s starting to become anecdotal evidence, at least, of a growth in breast size,” he told presenter Peter Levy.

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Mr Polanski has acknowledged he was wrong to say he was a spokesperson for the British Red Cross.

He made the claim as he campaigned to become his party’s deputy leader back in 2022.

Asked about the reports, he admitted he “used the wrong word” and said the offending post had been removed.

He explained that he had “hosted various fundraisers for the British Red Cross, and indeed I would go on stage and speak for them about the amazing work they do tackling humanitarian crises, on the climate crisis, and indeed, for refugees all around the world”.

He added: “I used the wrong word, and I accept that, but I would essentially take words on stage with me and speak.

“It’s important, though, and I accept this, that they don’t support any political party, and I’ve made sure that’s been taken down.”

Mr Polanski apologised after he came under fire from the Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley for sharing an “inaccurate” post on social media criticising the response to the Golders Green terror attack.

Mr Polanski retweeted an X post accusing Met officers detaining the suspect of “repeatedly and violently kicking a mentally ill man in the head” when he was already incapacitated after being tasered.

In a statement, he later said that “everyone in leadership has a responsibility for lowering the temperature at a time of such tension, and I apologise for sharing a tweet in haste.

“Police responses to emergency situations such as these do need later reflection in the right forums, but I accept that social media is not the appropriate channel for doing so.”

But prime minister Sir Keir Starmer said his “disgraceful” actions showed he was “not fit to lead any political party”.

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The Green Party also says Mr Polanski misspoke when he incorrectly claimed the Golders Green terror suspect was handcuffed in the video that set off the row.

In an interview on the BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Mr Polanski said he was “traumatised by seeing someone handcuffed and repeatedly kicked in the head”.

But the video, widely circulated online, clearly shows the man is not in handcuffs and officers are grappling to get something out of his hands. The police officers also appear to shout “drop the knife” a number of times.