Zack Polanski

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Zack Polanski
AM
Member of the London Assembly
Assumed office
6 May 2021
Personal details
BornSalford, Greater Manchester, England
Political partyGreen (2017–present)
Liberal Democrats (before 2017)
Alma materAberystwyth University

Zack Polanski is a Green Party of England and Wales politician who has been a member of the London Assembly since May 2021. Polanski is also the national spokesperson for the Green Party for Democracy & Citizen Engagement.[1]

Early life[]

Polanski was born in Salford to a Jewish family and attended Stockport Grammar School.[2][3] He studied at Aberystwyth University before attending drama school in Georgia in the United States. He moved to London upon graduation.[4] He identifies as Jewish and gay.[5][6]

Career[]

Politics[]

Polanski was active in the Liberal Democrats. He stood in the Barnet and Camden constituency and was fifth on the London-wide list for the party in the 2016 London Assembly election.[2] He then left the party and joined the Greens in 2017. He stood as the Green candidate in the Cities of London and Westminster parliamentary constituency at the 2019 general election and came in fourth.[7] Prior to his election to the London Assembly, he became treasurer of the Jewish Greens.[8]

On 6 May 2021, Polanski was elected a Member of the London Assembly, having been third on the Green Party's London-wide list. He also stood in the West Central constituency, where he came third,[9] and for a Westminster Council by-election, where he came fourth,[10] on the same day. In the new Assembly, Polanski was elected to be the chair of the Environment committee and to be on the committees for Fire, Resilience and Emergency Planning and the Economy Committee.[11]

In December 2021, Polanski proposed a successful motion in the London Assembly backing the Climate and Ecological Emergency bill. It was a cross party motion with Labour and Liberal Democrat support.[12][13]

Other ventures[]

Polanski has worked as a hypnotherapist. In 2013, he took a newspaper reporter for The Sun through a hypnotherapy session to increase her breast size at his Harley Street hypnotherapy clinic. He subsequently apologised for having done this, describing his own actions as misogynistic.[14][15]

He taught at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts and the National Centre for Circus Arts. He sang for the London International Gospel Choir.[16][17] He has also worked as an actor.[18]

Electoral history[]

2021 London Assembly election: West Central
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Tony Devenish 55,163 38.9 –5.3
Labour Rita Begum 52,938 37.3 +2.6
Green Zack Polanski 16,427 11.6 +2.4
Liberal Democrats Ted Townsend 13,462 9.5 +3.6
Let London Live Heiko Khoo 1,977 1.4 N/A
Reform UK Saradhi Rajan 1,954 1.4 N/A
Majority 2,225 1.6 –7.9
Turnout 141,921 39.0 –6.0
Conservative hold Swing –4.0
General election 2019: Cities of London and Westminster[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Nickie Aiken 17,049 39.9 -6.7
Liberal Democrats Chuka Umunna 13,096 30.7 +19.6
Labour Gordon Nardell 11,624 27.2 -11.2
Green Zack Polanski 728 1.7 -0.4
CPA Jill McLachlan 125 0.3 New
Liberal Dirk van Heck 101 0.2 New
Majority 3,953 9.2 +1.0
Turnout 42,723 67.1 +4.3
Registered electors 63,700
Conservative hold Swing
Lancaster Gate (Westminster Council) by-election, 22 November 2018[19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Margot Joan Bright 913 47.2 -1.5
Labour Angela Patricia Piddock 684 35.4 -1.0
Liberal Democrats Sally Elizabeth Gray 275 14.2 -0.7
Green Zack Polanski 62 3.2 +3.2
Majority 229 11.8 -0.5
Turnout 1934 27.75 -10.3
Conservative hold Swing
2016 London Assembly election: Barnet and Camden[20]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Andrew Dismore 81,482 44.3 -0.4
Conservative Dan Thomas 65,242 35.5 +3.6
Green Stephen Taylor 16,996 9.2 -1.5
Liberal Democrats Zack Polanski 11,204 6.1 -2.2
UKIP Joseph Langton 9,057 4.9 +0.5
Majority 16,240 8.7 -4.1
Total formal votes 183,981 98.8 +0.4
Informal votes 2,050 1.2 -0.4
Turnout 186,031 48% +10.0

References[]

  1. ^ "Green Party reveals new team of spokespeople | The Green Party". www.greenparty.org.uk. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  2. ^ a b Frazer, Jennl (29 April 2021). "Jewish candidates prepare to do battle as local election day looms". www.thejc.com.
  3. ^ "Feuilleton" (PDF). The Stopfordian. 1997. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  4. ^ McNicholls Vale, Julie (2 May 2019). "Former Aberystwyth student rejoins climate change protests following arrest". Cambrian News. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  5. ^ Polanski, Zack (2021-05-14). "The reality is that London is a green and red city now". Retrieved 2021-06-24.
  6. ^ Flores, Shaun (4 January 2021). "Gay, Jewish and Vegan: In Conversation with Green Party Politican [sic] Zack Polanski". Flower Hour. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Cities of London & Westminster parliamentary constituency - Election 2019 - BBC News". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  8. ^ Harpin, Lee. "Local Elections 2021: Jewish candidates standing for all parties have success". jewishnews.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2021-06-29.
  9. ^ "Tories, Greens and Lib Dems react to West Central result". May 7, 2021.
  10. ^ "Labour's Liza Begum wins Westminster Council by-election". South London News. 2021-05-07. Retrieved 2021-05-18.
  11. ^ "Assembly Member details - Zack Polanski". London City Hall. 2021-06-29. Retrieved 2021-06-29.
  12. ^ "The London Assembly calls on Mayor Khan to back the CEE Bill!". Zero Hour. Retrieved 2021-12-17.
  13. ^ Republic, Studio. "London Assembly gives support to proposed Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill". CIWEM. Retrieved 2021-12-17.
  14. ^ "Green Party candidate apologises again for misogynistic experiment | SWLondoner". South West Londoner. 2019-12-08. Retrieved 2021-05-08.
  15. ^ Brett, Louise (2021-05-12). "Commons Confidential: The great proletarian". Newstatesman.com. Retrieved 2021-05-18.
  16. ^ "Hypnotherapists North London". Kentishtowner.co.uk. 2013-01-01. Retrieved 2021-05-18.
  17. ^ "Roots". The Family Tree. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  18. ^ Joshua Neicho (2020-03-15). "Meet the new members of the London Assembly". OnLondon. Retrieved 2021-05-18.
  19. ^ "Declaration of result poll" (PDF). City of Westminster. Westminster City Council. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
  20. ^ "Final results" (PDF). www.londonelects.org.uk. 2021. Retrieved 2021-05-13.
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