UK Green Party leader Zack Polanski has announced his intention to stand as a candidate for MP for London’s Holborn and St. Pancras parliamentary constituency, following former prime minister Keir Starmer’s resignation as MP on Tuesday.
Polanski told the Camden New Journal on Thursday that he will stand in a by-election for the London constituency, which he said “represents so many of the things that make London so special."
"I am so excited by the prospect of representing this place in Parliament," he said. "Holborn and St Pancras has everything that’s the best of our country and so much potential."
To become the official Green candidate for the seat, Polanski has to be selected by local party members. Polanski's party currently has 5 MPs, but has never won a parliamentary seat in the capital.
Additionally, Holborn and St Pancras has been a Labour seat since the 1980s, first under Frank Dobson and then Starmer.
Polanski acknowledges struggles of Green Party with Labour government
Polanski acknowledged this, telling the Camden New Journal, “It’s a clear fight between Labour and the Green Party."
"We know that people are struggling – that the things we used to afford are increasingly out of reach – and this is a chance to send a very clear message that we won’t sit by as we get poorer and extreme wealth is concentrated at the very top.
“What voters in Holborn and St Pancras will get with me as their MP is someone totally dedicated to standing up for them. Put simply, I will use my place in Parliament to force the current Labour government into making life more affordable for the people who live here.”
Polanski is the first Jewish leader of the Green Party. He is a vocal critic of Israel, identifies as anti-Zionist, and frequently participates in pro-Palestinian events.