Green councillor loses faith in Polanski and quits

A Green councillor in Worcestershire has quit after growing unhappy with party boss Zack Polanski's leadership.

Councillor Martin Allen defected to the Liberal Democrats, after saying the Green Party leader was "not fit to be our prime minister".

He said Polanski had shown "poor judgement" on a number of issues, including his reaction to the jailing of four Palestine Action activists who caused £1.2m of damage at a UK site of an Israel-based defence firm.

A spokesperson for the Green Party said they were "sorry" to lose Allen, adding it had "seen councillors joining us in droves in recent months from other parties". They did not comment on Allen's criticisms of Polanski himself.

Allen said the leader had been wrong to have claimed he was a spokesperson for the British Red Cross, something he later apologised for.

He also said he made his mind up to defect after Polanski's response to the jailing of the four Palestine Action activists, who caused the damage at a factory near Bristol.

In June, Polanski said their jailing was "gut wrenching", calling it a "dangerous attack on the right to protest" on X.

Allen said: "After 10 years of service, I've concluded that I can no longer remain a member of the Green Party.

"Since there has been a change in leader, events, including Zack Polanski voicing sympathy for the thugs who were imprisoned for an act where a police officer was hit with a sledgehammer, have caused me to reflect on whether my values still align with those of the Green Party.

"I've reached the conclusion that they do not."

He said the Lib Dems "believe in doing the right thing for every part of our community".

A spokesperson for the Green Party said: "We are always sorry to lose councillors.

"After the local elections, we have a record number of Green councillors across the country.

"We have also seen councillors joining us in droves in recent months from other parties, and our membership has quadrupled over the past year."

Allen is now a Lib Dem on Worcestershire County Council, and Malvern Hills District Council.

The Greens and Lib Dems currently control the county council in a rainbow-style coalition that includes one suspended Conservative councillor and independents.

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