Greens must repair credibility and leadership failures after losing Holborn and St Pancras to Burnham's Labour
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/editorial. "The Guardian view on Labour and the Greens: winning trust takes more than words | Editorial | The Guardian." October 9, 2026. www.theguardian.com
The Gist
Labour held a seat the Greens had hoped to win, and the Greens' poll numbers and Polanski's popularity have been sliding. The Guardian argues that the Greens' leader needs to own up to what went wrong, particularly a controversial conference motion on Zionism that he didn't oppose in time, and fix his party's problems if it wants to regain public trust.
Conclusion
Zack Polanski must take responsibility for the Greens' leadership failures, acknowledge what went wrong (especially the 'Zionism is racism' motion), and put his party's house in order if the Greens are to restore their credibility and electoral appeal.
Premises
- Labour under Andy Burnham held Holborn and St Pancras, a seat with demographics favourable to the Greens, and its vote share fell far less than under Burnham's predecessor (3.7 points versus an average 19.3 points), showing Burnham has checked the Green advance.
- Despite tripling their vote share to 33%, the Greens lost the seat and Polanski failed to enter parliament, a sobering result for a party that began the year promising a serious challenge to Labour.
- The Greens' conference passed a 'Zionism is racism' motion that probably cost them support, and Polanski, who now says he would have voted against it, failed to make his opposition clear when it mattered.
- The Greens' national standing has deteriorated: they have fallen from second place (21%) in March to fourth (10%), and Polanski's net favourability has dropped from -6 to -29, as Burnham has taken over much of their leftwing rhetoric.
- The rapid influx of new members has changed the party, with some newcomers unfamiliar with its traditions of consensus and opposition to purity tests, and senior figures are calling for more democratic and strategic structures and a fix to the motion.
Assumptions
- The byelection result in one central London seat is a meaningful indicator of the Greens' wider electoral prospects
- The Zionism motion and the leadership's handling of it are significant causes of the Greens' decline, rather than Burnham's leftward shift alone
- A party leader bears primary responsibility for the party's internal direction and public image
- Voters penalise parties that appear to adopt controversial positions or show weak leadership
- Acknowledging errors and reversing the policy would help restore the Greens' credibility
- Polling and favourability trends will continue or are reliable indicators of public sentiment