ZACK Polanski's appearance on the Laura Kuenssberg show has led to a major spike in Green membership.
The Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW) gained more than 6000 members in a single day after the leader's performance on the Sunday morning BBC programme, taking membership to 130,000.
The party now has more members than the Conservatives and more than double the reported members of the LibDems.
On the show, Polanski shut down host Victoria Derbyshire after she attempted to rip apart plans for a proposed wealth tax.
He tweeted about the staggering rise in membership saying: "Something extraordinary is happening.
READ MORE: Scottish Greens want to rebuild ties with Zack Polanski's party
"+6000 new members in ONE SINGLE day. @TheGreenParty just hit 130,000 members and rising!!!"
Something extraordinary is happening.
+6000 new members in ONE SINGLE day. @TheGreenParty just hit 130,000 members and rising!!! https://t.co/0qbagSvIYp pic.twitter.com/N0TB8QsBwd— Zack Polanski (@ZackPolanski) October 19, 2025
Derbyshire pressed Polanski over the amount of capital a proposed wealth tax would generate as she explained a similar tax model had been implemented in Spain and only made an estimated £2.5 billion compared to the £15-20bn the Greens have said a wealth tax could generate.
She added that Paul Johnson, formerly of the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), had pointed out that “no country in the world has ever successfully had a wealth tax that raised serious money”.
Polanski fired back by explaining that the proposal was not about “creating public investment” but rather “tackling the deep inequality in our society”.
“I think they’re legitimate questions, and I’d also say that those aren’t tiny amounts of money,” he added.
“The economy is not working for almost anyone at the moment, unless you’re in that top 1% of the wealthiest.”
Polanski also said that, despite the IFS being an independent body, reports had emerged exploring links between them and banking firm Barclays .
We had wild ambitions.
But this is beyond our wildest dreams.
The public are showing what they want - bold leadership, action on social inequality & on the climate, challenging the neoliberal consensus that has dominated for far too long.https://t.co/tOUKWg7BBn https://t.co/VYkvOdfONk— Harriet Lamb (@HarrietLamb_) October 19, 2025
On the surge in membership, GPEW CEO Harriet Lamb said it was "beyond our wildest dreams".
She posted on X: "We had wild ambitions. But this is beyond our wildest dreams.
"The public are showing what they want - bold leadership, action on social inequality & on the climate, challenging the neoliberal consensus that has dominated for far too long."
Greens councillor Nate Higgins added: "I can scarcely believe this. Something is happening in this country.
"You wouldn’t know it if you only watched the BBC, but the country is waking up to find that hope is on offer, and they’re grabbing it with both hands."
Over the weekend at their annual conference, the Scottish Greens said they want to rebuild formal ties with Polanski's party.
READ MORE: Question Time: Fiona Bruce shuts down Zack Polanski over Reform Russia links
Formal ties between the parties were cut three years ago , when Scottish Green members voted to suspend formal association with their sister party until the GPEW addressed “both issues of transphobia and respect for the Scottish Green Party, our independence as a party, and the devolution settlement".
The two parties have always been separate organisations, but the suspension of ties meant GPEW members would not be able to automatically attend certain meetings of the Scottish Greens.
Ross Greer and Gillian Mackay said Polanski was doing a "pretty outstanding job" as new leader of the Greens south of the Border, adding that they consider him a "friend".
In an exclusive interview with The National last month, Polanski said he wanted to rebuild the relationship with the Scottish Greens and more recently he has revealed his support for Scottish and Welsh independence.
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