Is Zack Polanski’s honeymoon over?
Green Party leader Zack Polanski’s approval ratings have dived as scrutiny over his past experiences has put him in an awkward position.
CityAM/Freshwater Strategy polling has shown that Polanski’s approval ratings have dropped from a high of -5 in March to as low as -23 in this month’s data.
On a monthly basis, his approval ratings have fallen by six points.
It means Polanski is the second least popular leader of any major party, ahead of only Sir Keir Starmer.
Nigel Farage’s approval ratings have also dropped to the second lowest figure yet of -17 since polling began in January 2025. His ratings hit a high of -4 near the end of last year.
The Conservatives’ Kemi Badenoch is the only popular leader as her ratings inched up into positive territory with a score of one while the Liberal Democrats’ Sir Ed Davey ticked up from minus six last month to minus one.
Polanski hit by media scrutiny
The Green leader has come under intense pressure over his previous experiences, with newspaper reports unearthing apparent exaggerations on claims he has made
The British Red Cross denied that Polanski had ever acted as a spokesman for the charity, leading Polanski to admit that the claim was wrong.
It was also shown that Polanski had never worked in the civil service and had only been an actor to role-play in a scenario for the Judicial Appointments Commission, despite previous campaigns stating he had worked at the Ministry of Justice.
Media reports also revealed that Polanski failed to pay council tax while living on a narrowboat in London, prompting the Greater London Authority to probe him over unpaid tax.
The Green Party leader also came under fire for criticising a police officer that had grappled the knife attacker at Golders Green.
Polanski has responded by hitting out at the level of media scrutiny he has received, claiming questions asked of him had been “incredibly disproportionate” and suggesting it put his public safety at risk.
The Green Party’s own favourability has declined in CityAM/Freshwater Strategy polling. Around 12 per cent of the electorate would back the party in a General Election, a higher proportion than recorded in mid-2024.
Method note: Freshwater Strategy interviewed n=1,237 eligible voters in the UK, aged 18+ online, between 29 – 31 May 2026. Margin of Error +/- 2.8%. Data are weighted to be representative of UK voters. Freshwater Strategy are members of the British Polling Council and abide by their rules.