All posts tagged: Zack

The House | Miles Thorpe: From Former Stationery Entrepreneur To Zack Polanski’s Morgan McSweeney

The House | Miles Thorpe: From Former Stationery Entrepreneur To Zack Polanski’s Morgan McSweeney

Miles Thorpe 5 min read1 hr As Labour now knows to its cost, the Greens have sharpened their campaigning prowess considerably in recent years. Tom Scotson profiles Miles Thorpe – the man getting much of the credit for a series of wins Bill Clinton had ‘ragin’ Cajun’ James Carville, Boris Johnson’s election Svengali was Lynton Crosby and Keir Starmer’s swift path to No 10 is widely credited to Morgan McSweeney. Zack Polanski has a 31-year-old former stationery entrepreneur. Miles Thorpe, from south London, has knocked around Green Party circles for years but is now developing a reputation that might one day rival the other great campaigners. He is said to have masterminded the impressive victories of Carla Denyer in Bristol Central at the 2024 general election and the Gorton and Denton by-election in February, where Green candidate Hannah Spencer won by more than 4,000 votes.  “He is very focused, good at prioritising, great at recruiting and motivating volunteers and creating a fun team spirit,” says one Green Party source who knows Thorpe well. …

300 director Zack Snyder to remake classic 1980s dystopian action movie

300 director Zack Snyder to remake classic 1980s dystopian action movie

In April, Studio Canal revealed that a remake of John Carpenter’s iconic 1981 film Escape from New York was in the works at the studio – and it’s just been revealed that the project will be helmed by Zack Snyder. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the 300 director – who is also known for his work in the old DC Universe and films such as Watchmen and Rebel Moon – will write and direct a “reimagining” of the cult action flick, while he will also serve as a producer on the movie. The plan to reboot the franchise was previously unveiled by Hugh Spearing – the company’s executive vice president of global marketing and distribution – during a presentation at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, although at that point no details were given about which personnel might be involved. Snyder’s most recent film release was the second chapter of his epic sci-fi franchise Rebel Moon for Netflix, while he is currently in post-production on The Last Photograph, a drama which is due for release later in …

Politics Home Article | Making Money Shouldn’t Be Universities’ Priority, Says Zack Polanski

Politics Home Article | Making Money Shouldn’t Be Universities’ Priority, Says Zack Polanski

Zack Polanski is set to speak to UCU members tonight (Alamy) 3 min read1 hr Exclusive: The UK should stop treating university students like customers, Green Party leader Zack Polanski will say on Thursday. Addressing members of the University and College Union (UCU) this evening, Polanski, who wants to abolish tuition fees, will accuse successive Westminster governments of seeing higher education as a “commodity”, rather than “a public good”. In remarks shared with PoliticsHome ahead of his speech, Polanski is expected to warn that “tens of thousands” of academics nationwide are facing redundancies and job insecurity, while those who stay in the sector are suffering “shattered morale, crushing workloads, and stifled innovation – often while employed on exploitative, short-term contracts”.  “We all lose out when learning is treated as a commodity, when skills are seen as something to be sold at the highest cost possible, when curiosity and creativity are dismissed because they can’t be measured by exams,” he is set to say. His speech comes as the higher education sector continues to face severe financial strain. Earlier this month, …

My name is currently Zack Polanski and it’s time the world knows all of my truths

My name is currently Zack Polanski and it’s time the world knows all of my truths

After near-daily newspaper reports querying the inconsistencies of his CV and life story, Zack Polanski, the leader of the Green Party and doer of so much before that, is seeking to set things straight and prove he is not, as some have claimed, the Walter Mitty of UK politics. He plans to do this with a memoir, Zacktually Accurate: My Past, Our Future. But first, he needs a publisher. This week, The Telegraph found*, crushed into the mud on a canal towpath in East London, a letter intended for the publishing industry. Here, we publish that letter in full. ________________________________________________________________________ To whom it may concern, If I learnt anything from my time as a supply lighthouse keeper, it’s that where you shine your light is your choice, not theirs. Now, it’s time I shone inwards. My name is (currently) Zack Polanski, leader of the Green Party, but you probably know that already – especially as it is written on the header of this letter. Maybe you know I was born David Paulden. Or perhaps you …

Zack Polanski Admits Possible Houseboat Council Tax Failure

Zack Polanski Admits Possible Houseboat Council Tax Failure

Zack Polanski has admitted that he may have failed to pay the correct council tax while living on a houseboat in London. The Green Party leader has apologised and “immediately taken steps to pay any council tax he may be found to owe”. A spokesman for the party had previously claimed that Polanski rented a room at another address where council tax was included in the rent and only stayed on the boat “occasionally”. Government guidance states that a person may be liable for council tax on a boat if it is their “sole or main” residence. On Monday night, a Green Party spokesperson said: “Until relatively recently, Zack was living on a houseboat, which came with its own unique practical circumstances and considerations. “He has immediately taken steps to pay any council tax he may be found to owe. Zack apologises sincerely for the unintentional mistake.” The spokesperson added: “For security reasons, we do not comment publicly on Zack’s address. “There have recently been two serious incidents which have been reported to the police …

Zack Polanski issues grovelling apology for ‘unintentional mistake’ | UK | News

Zack Polanski issues grovelling apology for ‘unintentional mistake’ | UK | News

Zack Polanski has been forced to apologise over council tax after evidence pointed to a houseboat being his main home – and the deprived London borough in question has just returned its first Green council. It is the latest blow for the Green leader, who has already had to retract a claim that he was a British Red Cross spokesperson. He has also faced criticism over his response to a terror attack on Jewish people in Golders Green, with his poll ratings dropping sharply in the aftermath. Late on Monday, a Green Party spokesman issued a statement: “Until relatively recently, Zack was living on a houseboat, which came with its own unique practical circumstances and considerations. He has immediately taken steps to pay any council tax he may be found to owe. Zack apologises sincerely for the unintentional mistake.” The statement added: “For security reasons, we do not comment publicly on Zack’s address. There have recently been two serious incidents which have been reported to the police and are under investigation.” What is the evidence …

Exclusive: Zack Polanski falsely claimed to have worked at the Ministry of Justice

Exclusive: Zack Polanski falsely claimed to have worked at the Ministry of Justice

Zack Polanski falsely claimed to have worked at the Ministry of Justice while campaigning for elected office, The Telegraph can reveal. The Green Party leader said on his official campaign website in 2020 that he was “currently working at the Ministry of Justice on their training & diversity programmes”. The Telegraph, however, understands that the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has no record of Mr Polanski ever working for the department. When asked about the claim, a spokesman for Mr Polanski said he had worked for the “justice assessment committee”, which he described as “a programme to improve the diversity of justice appointments based in the MoJ”. This committee does not exist. The only known public reference to a “justice assessment committee” appears to be a comment made by Mr Polanski himself during a City Hall meeting in 2024. After Green Party gains in the local elections, such as Zoe Garbett, being elected mayor of Hackney, Mr Polanski’s past statements have come under extra scrutiny – Chris J Ratcliffe/Reuters When challenged over the discrepancies, the Green …

Zack Polanski’s approval rating enters freefall in humiliating blow | UK | News

Zack Polanski’s approval rating enters freefall in humiliating blow | UK | News

A deepening antisemitism scandal has sent Zack Polanski’s approval ratings into freefall, with over 30 Green Party candidates allegedly facing accusations of posting antisemitic content online. Close to a dozen candidates have reportedly been suspended by the party since the campaign began, with further cases still being examined. Police arrested two on suspicion of stirring up racial hatred. The Express reported how Polanski’s own conduct came under scrutiny after he backed a social media post attacking officers who arrested a man suspected of stabbing two Jewish men in Golders Green. Sir Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan Police commissioner, responded with a public letter warning the Green leader was stoking “rising tensions.” His apology did not extend to withdrawing the underlying claim – Polanski maintained he was “very concerned” by footage of the arrest, and hit back at Rowley for using an open letter, calling it an inappropriate way “to do politics.” What did Zack Polanski say about the antisemitism allegations? Polanski insisted there were only a “handful” of cases and that the “vast majority” of candidates …

Zack Polanski Apologises For Criticising Police Action Over Golders Green Attack

Zack Polanski Apologises For Criticising Police Action Over Golders Green Attack

Green Party party leader Zack Polanski Zack Polanski has apologised for sharing an online post criticising the police response to the Golders Green terror attack. Shilome Rand, 34, and Moshe Shine, 76, were left seriously injured in what police have described as a terrorist incident in north west London, on Wednesday. The Green Party leader shared a post the following day on X which accused police officers of “repeatedly and violently kicking a mentally ill man in the head when he was already incapacitated by Taser”. The repost triggered major backlash, including from the usually impartial head of the Metropolitan police, commissioner Sir Mark Rowley who said Polanski’s words were “inaccurate and misinformed”. In a statement on Friday, Polanski apologised for “sharing a tweet in haste” saying that social media was not the “appropriate channel” for commenting on police action. His statement read: “Everyone in leadership has a responsibility for lowering the temperature at a time of such tension, and I apologise for sharing a tweet in haste. “Police responses to emergency situations such as these do …