Zack Polanski

Zack Polanski (born David Paulden; 2 November 1982) is a British politician who has been the deputy leader of the Green Party of England and Wales since 2022. He has been a Londonwide member of the London Assembly (AM) since May 2021, re-elected in May 2024, and was also the national spokesperson for the Green Party for democracy and citizen engagement.

In 2025, Zack Polanski is standing for Leader of the Green Party.

Early and personal life

Zack Polanski was born David Paulden in Salford. He was born to a Jewish family that had moved to the UK from mainland Europe in the early 20th century and they had adopted the family name of Paulden in hopes of evading antisemitism. Aged 18, he changed his family name back to Polanski, saying it was important for him to find pride, not shame, in his identity.

Polanski grew up in Salford and attended Stockport Grammar School on a scholarship before leaving to go to a comprehensive college. He studied at Aberystwyth University before attending drama school in Georgia in the United States. He moved to London upon graduation.

Polanski is gay, vegan and lives in Hackney.

Politics

Polanski was active in the Liberal Democrats. He stood as a council candidate for St Pancras and Somers Town in a 2015 by-election to Camden London Borough Council. He stood in the Barnet and Camden constituency and was fifth on the London-wide list for the party in the 2016 London Assembly election.He then left the Liberal Democrats and joined the Green Party in 2017. He stood as the Green candidate in the Cities of London and Westminster parliamentary constituency at the 2019 general election and finished in fourth place of six candidates, with 1.7%. Prior to his election to the London Assembly, he became treasurer of the Jewish Greens.

On 6 May 2021, Polanski was elected a Member of the London Assembly, having been third on the Green Party's London-wide list. He also stood in the West Central constituency, where he came third, and for a Westminster Council by-election, where he came fourth on the same day. In the new Assembly, Polanski was elected to be the chair of the Environment committee and to be on the committees for Fire, Resilience and Emergency Planning and the Economy Committee.

In December 2021, Polanski proposed a successful motion in the London Assembly backing the Climate and Ecological Emergency bill. It was a cross party motion with Labour and Liberal Democrat support.

On 6 June 2022, Polanski announced his candidacy in the 2022 Green Party of England and Wales deputy leadership election. On 7 September 2022, he was elected Deputy Leader, succeeding Amelia Womack.

In May 2024, Polanski was re-elected to the London Assembly and, in June 2024, re-elected as Chair of the London Assembly Environment Committee.

In January 2025, Polanski refused to have an all-male panel in London's Environment Committee insisting on a diversity of speakers. The Conservatives walked out of the meeting calling Polanski’s actions “left wing wokery."

In May 2025, Polanski announced his candidacy for the upcoming 2025 Green Party of England and Wales leadership election. In his announcement, he said that the Greens needed to be able to challenge Reform UK's political narrative and to take advantage of political disillusionment with the Labour Party. Later that week, Owen Jones endorsed Polanski in ''The Guardian''.

Polanski was also elected in May 2025 as the Chair of London's Fire Committee.

Other ventures

Prior to being a politician, Polanski worked with the theatre company DifferencEngine as an immersive theatre actor, including appearances in The Hollow Hotel, The People's Revolt (in the Tower of London) and in the ''Peaky Blinders'' Immersive Theatre experience.

Polanski also worked as a hypnotherapist. In 2013, a newspaper reporter for ''The Sun'' requested a hypnotherapy session to increase her breast size and body image self-confidence for an article in the paper. Polanski did the session without charge and featured in the published article. Polanski said the article did not accurately reflect the situation, but, years later, apologised for his involvement.

Polanski taught at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts and the National Centre for Circus Arts. Polanski also sang for the London International Gospel Choir.

In June 2024, Polanski released a book with the authors of The Spirit Level – Kate Pickett and Richard Wilkinson – called ''Act Now: A vision for a better future and a new social contract.''

References

External links

Leadership campaign website

Profile
at the London Assembly

{{DEFAULTSORT:Polanski, Zack
1982 births
Living people
Alumni of Aberystwyth University
Jewish English politicians
Green Party Members of the London Assembly
Green Party of England and Wales parliamentary candidates
English gay politicians
Liberal Democrats (UK) politicians
People educated at Stockport Grammar School
People from Salford
Politicians from London
London AMs 2021–2024
London AMs 2024–2028