Greens Reach 17% in Polls as Membership Swells and By‑Election Win Sparks Backlash

TL;DR: The Green Party now polls at 17%, has tripled its membership to about 220,000 and captured a by‑election with 40.6% of the vote, but a media‑driven anti‑Semitism narrative threatens its momentum.

Context The party, long a fringe force with a single MP between 2010 and 2024, entered the July 2024 general election with four seats. Since then, economic strain, waning confidence in the Conservatives and Labour, and growing anti‑establishment sentiment have reshaped the political landscape.

Key Facts Green Party support now sits at roughly 17% in national polling, matching the Conservatives and edging the governing Labour Party by one point. Membership has risen from 65,000 in July 2025 to about 220,000 today, a more than three‑fold increase. The party secured its first parliamentary by‑election victory in Gorton and Denton, earning 40.6% of the vote.

Leader Zack Polanski, a non‑Zionist Jew who describes Israeli actions in Gaza as genocide, has positioned the Greens as the primary pro‑Palestinian voice in British politics. His stance has attracted disaffected leftists who view Labour’s handling of the Israel‑Gaza conflict as a whitewash. The by‑election win, in a constituency where 30% of residents are Muslim, amplified the party’s profile and triggered a coordinated smear campaign accusing the Greens of anti‑Semitism.

Media outlets have linked former Labour members expelled during the party’s own anti‑Semitism crisis to the Greens, suggesting a transfer of “hateful” politics. A motion at the Greens’ Spring conference to label Zionism as racism was blocked by a filibuster from Jewish members, yet the episode reinforced the narrative of sectarian bias.

What It Means The surge places the Greens as a credible third‑party contender for the next general election, potentially reshaping the centre‑left vote. However, the anti‑Semitism narrative could force the leadership into a defensive posture reminiscent of Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour, where repeated concessions eroded internal cohesion. How Polanski balances principled advocacy for Palestine with a strategy to defuse the smear will determine whether the party sustains its rapid growth or stalls under external pressure.

Watch for the Greens’ response to upcoming media inquiries and any formal inquiry into the anti‑Semitism claims as the next election cycle approaches.