Zack Polanski has been elected the Green Party’s new leader after a landslide victory that signals a shift towards eco-populism. In his victory address he warned Labour that the Greens intend to replace them. He also criticised Reform UK, saying many voters are drawn to the party from a sense of hopelessness.

Polanski spoke to the PA News Agency about reclaiming key labels used in political debate. He said he wants to reclaim the words populist, patriot and even the flag, arguing the left should stop handing these symbols to the right. He acknowledged Reform’s strength in storytelling and said the Greens could learn from that approach while rejecting misinformation. The party currently has 68,500 members, compared with Reform UK’s more than 200,000. Polanski said it was too early to discuss cooperation with Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour, but that he would talk to anyone who shares his values, including Corbyn, Zarah Sultana, and some Liberal Democrat MPs.

It was confirmed Polanski won the leadership contest with 20,411 votes, while Ramsay and Chowns received 3,705 each. Turnout appeared to be less than a third of the Green Party’s membership. Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn congratulated Polanski and said he looked forward to working with the Greens to push for change. We Deserve Better, a left-wing alliance, said it would pursue a strong and united left ahead of elections. Polanski said the Greens would hold the Labour government to account, noting criticisms of welfare reforms and foreign policy choices, and said leaving Nato was unrealistic for now but that talks with European neighbours about an alternative should be explored.