How the Green Party Gained Power in the U.K.

Earlier today Ash Sarkar, British journalist and Senior Editor at Novara Media, discussed with Briahna Joy Gray of the Bad Faith podcast the U.K. Green Party’s recent (and significant) electoral gains under the new leadership of Zack Polanski (pictured at right).

Notes Gray in introducing her interview with Sarkar:

After winning big, Polanski declared that Britain’s two party politics are “dead and buried,” and that Green vs [the far-right] Reform has replaced the old Labor vs Conservatives dynamic. What techniques might translate into lessons for the U.S. Green Party which hopes to displace Democrats in our two party system, and what obstacles are unique to the U.S.? Will Polanski succeed where Corbyn failed? How should the left handle bad faith attacks from establishment media?

Related Off-site Links:
“Two Party Politics Is Dead” in U.K. Says Green Party Leader After Labour Thrashed – Brad Reed (Common Dreams, May 8, 2026).
Green Party Wins Its First Mayor in London – Novara Media (May 8, 2026).
On-Air Meltdown: Green Surge Is Driving British Media Insane – David Doel (The Rational National, April 28, 2026).
Green Party Scores Upset Win in U.K. Election in Blow to Labour and Far-Right Reform Party – Brad Reed (Common Dreams, February 27, 2026).
Green Party Wins U.K. By-election in Blow to Labour and Prime Minister Starmer – David Broder (Al Jazeera, February 27, 2026).
Keir Starmer Richly Deserves This Defeat – David Broder (Jacobin, February 27, 2026).
Labour "Safe Seat" Taken by Greens' Hannah Spencer in Stunning Result That Brings Back Hope – Council Estate Media (February 27, 2026).
Hannah Spencer: The Green MP Speaking to Everyday People’s Frustrations – Josh Halliday and Alexandra Topping (The Guardian, February 27, 2026).
From Plumber to Parliament: The Green Party’s New MP – Richard Wheeler and Joe Pike (BBC News, February 27, 2026).
Spencer’s Victory Speech an Object Lesson in Grace While Reform’s Man Rages – John Crace (The Guardian, February 27, 2026).
Celebrations, Selfies and Crowdsurfing: Greens Relish Seismic Night in British Politics – Hannah Al-Othman (The Guardian, February 27, 2026).
The Green Party Has Been Accused of Sectarianism. This Is Why That’s Wrong – Imran Mulla (Middle East Eye, February 27, 2026).
What Does the Greens’ Victory in Gorton and Denton Mean for the Future of British Politics? – Polly Toynbee, Adam Ramsay, Remi Joseph-Salisbury, Diane Abbott, Henry Hill and John McTernan (The Guardian, February 27, 2026).


See also the previous Wild Reed posts:

ZACK POLANSKI AND THE GREEN PARTY OF THE U.K.
• “Green Wave 2026 is Global”
• The Rational National’s Take on U.K. Green Party’s “Brilliant” New Ad
• Zack Polanski’s Christmas Message
• Zack Polanski’s Message of Hope
• “The Answer, Actually, Is Hope”


GREEN PARTY OF THE U.S.A.
• Meet Some of the “People-Powered” Green Party Candidates for 2026
• Jill Stein on the Importance of the Green Party
• Dayvon Love: “You Actually Don’t Care Where Jill Stein Is”
• An Opportunity for Organizing Against Duopoly
• “It Is Our Responsibility to Make a Third Party Viable”
• Something to Think About – December 8, 2024
• The Green Party’s Jill Stein and Butch Ware Give Their First Post-Election Interview
• “We Give Reasons for People to Come Out and Vote”
• We’re Witnessing a Liberal Meltdown Over Jill Stein
• The “Green Smoothie” Option
• Green Party Vice Presidential Candidate Butch Ware in Minneapolis
• Butch Ware: “I’m Not Here as a Spoiler”
• Jill Stein: “Americans Deserve Choices”
• Elise Labott on How Third Parties Can Revitalize Democracy
• Something to Think About – August 15, 2024
• Howie Hawkins: “The Democrats Are Not the Answer to the Trump/Fascism Problem”
• Demolishing the False Narrative About Jill Stein and the 2016 Election
• Cornel West: “The Next Step Is a Green Step, a Progressive Step”
• Bernie Sanders and Jill Stein: Is a “Historic Collaboration” in the Making? (2016)
• Voting Green: Hope Over Fear