Green Party leader Zack Polanski becomes UK's most unpopular major party leader after guillotine post row

Zack Polanski's popularity has fallen sharply following controversy over an Instagram post that appeared to suggest Nigel Farage should be beheaded, according to new polling.

The Controversy

The Green Party leader was reported to the police after he accepted a collaboration on a series of photos. One image showed a man wearing a t-shirt featuring an outline of a guillotine with the words: "We're only making plans for Nigel."

Polanski later deleted the entire post but refused to apologise when questioned by the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire. He stated it was "quite obvious he had not done anything wrong apart from make an inadvertent mistake."

Reform UK accused him of "incitement to violence," though police later confirmed they would be taking no further action.

Polling Impact

Research by the More in Common think-tank indicates the row has damaged both Polanski and the Green Party:

• Polanski's personal approval rating has fallen to minus 28, making him the most unpopular major party leader in the country
• 55% of the public say they do not believe Polanski's explanation of the incident
• 55% believe he should apologise to Farage
• 56% of voters now consider the Greens an unserious party

Analysis

Luke Tryl, director of More in Common, commented:

"After a meteoric rise, Zack Polanski has increasingly been dogged by questions of his judgement in recent months.

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"Our latest polling had the Greens on 8%, virtually reversing the 'Polanski wave' of new support they had gained since he became leader. And Polanski's personal approval rating has continued to decline, making him the most unpopular major party leader on -28.

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"Polanski's resharing of a t-shirt with violent imagery about Farage exemplifies these struggles.

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"A majority of voters, including nearly a third of current Green voters, did not believe his explanation for the incident, and strong majorities of the public believe he should apologise.

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"While most were sceptical of Reform's decision to report Polanski to the police, Polanski has clearly misread the mood of the country, which has no tolerance for posts that risk condoning or endorsing political violence.

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"Especially after the shocking murder of Ann Widdecombe, Britons want to see public figures behaving responsibly online.

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"While the Greens have clearly tapped into a widespread desire for a progressive alternative over the past year, and Polanski has owned the attention economy, a combination of a Burnham bounce and leadership missteps risks setting them back."

Green Party Response

A Green Party spokesperson said:

"Polls go up and down. We will wait to see but early signs are Burnham's honeymoon is relatively modest when compared with other new PMs.

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"As far as the Instagram collaboration goes, Zack deleted the post as soon as this was brought to his attention whereas Nigel Farage amplified it massively.

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"It was a stunt for Nigel Farage to report it to the police as a distraction from his dodgy donations. The police quickly confirmed that they would be taking no action."