“Vote Green and watch Labour move”: Polanski fires up record Brighton conference

Zack Polanski told the Green party’s biggest ever conference that the Greens “had changed this country”, in a confident and strident leader’s speech in Brighton on Friday.

The Green leader accused Labour of being far too timid and of failing to face down vested interests and big business. He set out a party that would “tax the richest, bring services back into public hands and end rip-off Britain”.

“We used to be told that we can’t win – and that used to be kind of true – but not any more,” he said. “I took over as leader of a party that was already growing but this year has been wild.”

Controlled excitement

There was a noticeable buzz at the Brighton Centre as members arrived for what the party says is its largest ever national gathering. Greens call them attendees, not delegates. The mood was one of controlled excitement.

It remains a distinctly Green affair. Corporate exhibition stands were scarce, with voluntary, charity and campaign organisations dominating. The atmosphere was far more relaxed than at Labour’s conference in Liverpool earlier this week, with noticeably less security and overt stewarding in and around the hall.

There are more press and media here than at previous Green conferences, including a healthy number of photographers. The fringe has drawn big hitters, with Owen Jones, Sir John Curtice and Novara Media all appearing at events.

Siân Berry, Green MP for Brighton Pavilion, opened conference. She welcomed members to a city whose liberal and tolerant values have made it a strong base for the Greens.

She introduced the party’s newest MP, Hannah Spencer, who won the Gorton and Denton by-election earlier this year. Spencer described that victory as starting the process that ended with Keir Starmer’s removal as Labour leader and prime minister.

“We are not beholden to corporate or financial interests and are here to represent the people who voted for us,” she said.

Affordability first

Polanski framed his pitch around the cost of living. “People are crying out for change. They are cutting down because costs of the bare essentials are going up and up,” he said. “We know who we are against. We stand on our principles. How do we make life more affordable, protect the caring majority in this country and how do we protect the planet? They are key principles for me.”

He speaks with a passion and an ease that many politicians simply lack and the Brighton audience clearly adores him.

An emergency brake on rents

On housing, Polanski pointed to Green councils in Bristol and Stroud, which he said were breaking records for building affordable homes.

“People want a place they can call home. It’s a guarantee of security and a stepping stone for what might happen next. It is time for a serious plan to build council homes at scale,” he said.

He turned his fire on private landlords. “We need to tackle the scandalous cost of private rents. For too long landlords have been allowed to hike prices ahead of wages. Private landlords are having their extortionate rents subsidised by housing benefits.”

“We are calling on the government to implement a three-year emergency brake on private rents. No more uncertainty and no more fear.” In the longer term, he said, the Greens would introduce a national rent guarantee “to keep rents affordable for ever”.

He accused ministers of dismissing rent controls. “Government ministers are talking down rent controls against all the evidence. Labour’s half measures won’t work. It’s not good enough and it’s not going to cut it. People need an alternative.”

“The best of us”

Polanski warned of a “tense, volatile world”. “Toxic online worlds are exploding onto our streets. The despicable sight of masked men marauding our streets taking action against vulnerable people who have only just arrived here,” he said. He singled out the RNLI, who had faced attacks for rescuing people in the English Channel, for praise: “Thank you, you are the best of us.”

He said he was proud that Green MPs had stood up and spoken out for trans people. “The Green Party will always stand with everyone who is under attack. That’s what Greens do. Because it’s the right thing to do.”

On Gaza, he accused Labour of branding people whose views it did not want to hear as “terrorists” and said Green MPs would never do that. He called for the ban on Palestine Action to be lifted and for an end to the genocide in Gaza. “If you fight for peace and justice we will always have your back,” he said.

He claimed the Greens had already forced Labour to begin shifting its position on Gaza. “We have started to move Labour in the right direction.”

Fires and fossil fuels

Polanski attacked the government’s response to this summer’s rash of wildfires. “The silence from our government on climate issues shocked me. Their solution following a Cobra meeting was to ban disposable barbecues.”

“And yet the government want to drill for more fossil fuels. We say no! We need clean energy. We need clean power in our hands.” His message on the climate crisis was blunt: “Keep oil and gas in the ground.”

“Vote Green and watch Labour move”

Polanski argued that Green pressure was already reshaping government policy. “Vote Green and watch Labour move,” he said. “Voting Green is powerful. At general elections the government changes but between elections we change the government.”

“A lot has changed in a year. We Greens have a plan. We will not hesitate in taxing extreme wealth. We will ensure that the support of the welfare state is there for people who need it.”

Closing, he quoted his political hero Tony Benn: “Hope is the fuel of progress.” He added: “Fear will get us nowhere. We have to be bold. Only with real hope and real change will we build the world we want to see. Let’s go!”