Green Party leader Zack Polanski is under mounting pressure from within his own party to hand over control of his social media accounts after a series of missteps, including sharing an Instagram post that appeared to condone violence against Nigel Farage. The incident has sparked a debate about the party's digital strategy as it faces a resurgent Labour Party under new Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
Polanski's social media gaffe
The controversy began when Polanski shared an Instagram carousel of photos from an event he attended. The collection included a picture of a man wearing a T-shirt depicting a guillotine and lyrics from the XTC song 'Making Plans for Nigel,' widely interpreted as a reference to Farage. The post was swiftly deleted, and the party described the T-shirt as 'clearly in poor taste.' Reform UK has asked the police to investigate.
During a subsequent appearance on BBC's Newsnight, Polanski condemned political violence but refused to apologise to Farage, calling it an 'inadvertent mistake.' The Guardian understands that some within the party disagreed with the decision not to apologise, leading to internal friction.
Calls for change in digital strategy
Polanski's prolific social media activity—characterised by rapid-fire likes and reposts on X, Bluesky, and Facebook—has been a key part of his brand. However, the latest incident has prompted senior party figures to question whether this approach needs to be reined in. 'There are discussions at all levels about how to avoid this sort of thing happening in the future,' one senior party figure said. 'There does seem to be a keenness from people around Zack for him to hand over the keys to his social media accounts.'
Another party source described Polanski as 'terminally online,' suggesting that his constant engagement with social media exposes him to unnecessary risks. However, not all agree. 'The whole point about Zack is that he does his own stuff, and that's quite exciting for a party leader,' another senior figure argued.
Polls show mixed results for Greens
The internal debate comes as new polls show Labour overtaking Reform UK for the first time in over a year, with the Greens' vote share dipping modestly. One poll placed the Greens at 13%, unchanged from recent surveys, while another showed a three-point drop. Despite this, party insiders remain confident that Burnham's appeal will not significantly erode Green support. 'It's still very early days, and we don't know what will happen with Burnham,' a senior party figure said. 'But on areas like the cost of living and drilling in the North Sea, it doesn't feel like much will change.'
Looking ahead: the Greater Manchester mayoral byelection
Polanski faces an immediate test on Friday with the result of the Greater Manchester mayoral byelection, triggered by Burnham's departure to become prime minister. Polls suggest the Greens will finish third, a significant improvement from fifth place in 2024, but not the breakthrough some had hoped for. The party's stunning byelection win in Gorton and Denton five months ago now seems a distant memory.
Some within the party argue that Polanski needs to evolve from a campaigner into a credible potential governing figure. 'They introduced Burnham very cleverly as this friendly guy in a T-shirt, but it evolved, and now he's a serious man in a suit meeting world leaders,' one Green source said. 'Our videos to introduce Zack were great, but something seems to have gone missing since then. The risk is that Burnham ends up looking like a safe pair of hands. If he manages to seem totally sensible, and we seem unsensible, that's when people might move to Labour.'
