Zack Polanski delivering his party conference speech The leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, Zack Polanski, railed against a ‘political class poisoned by extreme wealth’ in his speech to the party’s conference today (2 October). The address was his first speech to Green Party’s conference since he was elected as the party’s leader in September. “This is a country with so much going for it, but we have been time and time again failed by a political class poisoned by extreme wealth,” Polanski told a packed out conference hall. He continued by saying: “And you can see that poison every single day: Rough sleeping – it is up 164% since 2010; half of renters are just one pay cheque away from losing their home; water companies – they’re pumping sewage into the water and charge us extra for the privilege; a country where we’re all paying the cost of the selling off of our shared assets – £250 more each household each year, that is the privatisation premium; a country where a tiny few have taken our power, our wealth. Things must change – and friends it is time to take it back.” Later in his speech, Polanski went on to set out what he sees as the key messages coming out of the Green Party under his leadership. He told the conference: “We’re here to turn our country around. So at every opportunity, from the doorstep to the TV studio, our message from the Green Party is this: We will bring down your bills, we will cut the cost of living and we will protect our NHS. Let’s remind us who we’re doing this for: for the families who look at the bills each month and wonder how they can get by, for renters living in shoddy accommodation – they simply can’t take another rent hike, for the thousands and thousands of disabled people in the UK who have found themselves at the sharp end of brutal government cuts. “Look: the truth is this: that the problems facing Britain are longer in the making than the managed decline of Starmer and Reeves, although they’ve certainly not helped. These issues are rooted in an economic model which is built on austerity and is built on privatisation. “But this party is clear: We will break the shackles of poverty and hardship that lock so many in, we will end rip off Britain, and we will make sure that the very wealthiest pay more tax.” Alongside this, Polanski used his speech to attack both Nigel Farage’s Reform UK and the Labour government led by Keir Starmer. He accused Labour of being ‘handmaidens’ to the ‘dangerous, deceitful politics’ of Reform. Polanski told the conference: “The Prime Minister might call this an island of strangers. When Farage says jump, Labour might say ‘how high’. But the Greens will never dance to the tune of a Trump loving, tax avoiding, science-denying, NHS dismantling corporate stooge. We’ll say it loud, and we’ll say it clear, migrants and refugees are welcome here. “So we are under no illusion as to the threat we face in this county: A march in London addressed by a who’s who of the far right; party leading in the polls with plans to deport our friends, our neighbours, our family members; and a government – a Labour government – who are the handmaidens of this dangerous, deceitful politics. “There is no easy way forwards, but the only way starts – and I literally mean the only way – with building our communities. There is nothing wrong with being proud of where we live – in fact it should fill us with pride – caring for our local parks; building friendships with our neighbours; organising with fellow tenants, celebrating our differences.” These weren’t even the strongest criticisms Polanski levelled Labour and Keir Starmer. Later, he accused the government of being an ‘active participant in the murdering of the Palestinians’. Polanski said: “When mass slaughter is happening In Palestine, we will not be silent. When governments try to silence dissent, we won’t be silent. “And when Keir Starmer – in one of the most deeply cynical and morbid acts I’ve seen in my lifetime – decides to recognise a Palestinian state at the same moment that his government is an active participant in the murdering of the Palestinians then we must never be silent. “Let it be heard across our country but a call that is now echoing around the world – we must stop selling arms to Israel, we must stop sharing intelligence, we will do everything we can to stop the genocide.” He also criticised the decision to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist group, calling it a ‘draconian crackdown on the right to protest’. Polanski said: “And we cannot talk about stopping genocide without talking about [the] draconian crackdown on the right to protest happening against those taking action for Palestine – using terrorist legislation to arrest hundreds and hundreds of protesters for simply holding up a sign. “The proscription of Palestine Action must be withdrawn – and every parliamentarian, Labour, Tory, Reform, even Lib Dem who failed to vote against it – need to hang their heads in shame.” Members of the Green Party are gathering over the weekend in Bournemouth for the Green Party’s conference. Throughout the weekend, party members will be debating and discussing the party’s policy platform and hearing from key figures from across the party – including the Greens’ new deputy leaders Rachel Millward and Mothin Ali. This article was jointly published with Left Foot Forward.