As the Greens aim to seize the progressive mantle, a well-meaning gender rule risks becoming a straitjacket
The Green Party of England and Wales has never been closer to breaking through as the leading force on the UK’s progressive left.
With four MPs, a record haul of local councillors, and public anger rising over climate, inequality – and Labour’s drift to the centre – the Greens should be poised to rally disillusioned voters into a radical new bloc.
But just as the party faces this historic opening, it is bumping up against an obstacle of its own making.
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Deputy leader Zack Polanski’s bid to take over the top job comes with a bold message: the Greens must be louder, sharper, and more populist if they are to challenge not just the two-party system but the insurgent right-wing energy of Reform UK.
Yet under the party’s rules, Polanski can’t simply step into Carla Denyer’s place after her decision to step down.
Why? Because the Greens’ co-leadership system requires one man and one woman at the helm — and the other current co-leader, Adrian Ramsay, is also a man.
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This leaves the Greens in an awkward position. Either Polanski forces Ramsay out or finds a female running mate to replace him, or he runs as sole leader, a less tested model in a party that prides itself on shared leadership.
A rule designed to protect inclusivity and gender balance — laudable goals — has become, in practice, a political cage.
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It’s a revealing moment.
The Greens have long stood for participatory democracy and progressive values, but they now risk being outpaced by the very forces they claim to represent.
Voters frustrated with the cautious centrism of Labour and the Liberals are looking for a movement with momentum, not one bogged down in internal process.
If the Greens want to be the vanguard of a new left, they will have to prove they can be nimble, not just principled.
That may mean rethinking rules made for a smaller, more idealistic party — and recognising that leadership flexibility is not the enemy of diversity but its enabler.
Help fund great articles! We’re aiming for £50 to cover research and reporting time this week.
Can you chip in £3 today?
👉 https://ko-fi.com/voxpolitical
The coming leadership contest isn’t just a personnel change.
It’s a test of whether the Greens can seize the moment — or whether, in a political landscape reshaped by populism, they’ll end up stuck on the sidelines – by their own design.
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The Green Party’s own rules could block its way to left-wing leadership
As the Greens aim to seize the progressive mantle, a well-meaning gender rule risks becoming a straitjacket
The Green Party of England and Wales has never been closer to breaking through as the leading force on the UK’s progressive left.
With four MPs, a record haul of local councillors, and public anger rising over climate, inequality – and Labour’s drift to the centre – the Greens should be poised to rally disillusioned voters into a radical new bloc.
But just as the party faces this historic opening, it is bumping up against an obstacle of its own making.
Help fund great articles! We’re aiming for £50 to cover research and reporting time this week.
Can you chip in £3 today?
👉 https://ko-fi.com/voxpolitical
Deputy leader Zack Polanski’s bid to take over the top job comes with a bold message: the Greens must be louder, sharper, and more populist if they are to challenge not just the two-party system but the insurgent right-wing energy of Reform UK.
Yet under the party’s rules, Polanski can’t simply step into Carla Denyer’s place after her decision to step down.
Why? Because the Greens’ co-leadership system requires one man and one woman at the helm — and the other current co-leader, Adrian Ramsay, is also a man.
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
This leaves the Greens in an awkward position. Either Polanski forces Ramsay out or finds a female running mate to replace him, or he runs as sole leader, a less tested model in a party that prides itself on shared leadership.
A rule designed to protect inclusivity and gender balance — laudable goals — has become, in practice, a political cage.
Get my free guide: “10 Political Lies You Were Sold This Decade” — just subscribe to our email list here:
👉 https://voxpoliticalonline.com
It’s a revealing moment.
The Greens have long stood for participatory democracy and progressive values, but they now risk being outpaced by the very forces they claim to represent.
Voters frustrated with the cautious centrism of Labour and the Liberals are looking for a movement with momentum, not one bogged down in internal process.
If the Greens want to be the vanguard of a new left, they will have to prove they can be nimble, not just principled.
That may mean rethinking rules made for a smaller, more idealistic party — and recognising that leadership flexibility is not the enemy of diversity but its enabler.
Help fund great articles! We’re aiming for £50 to cover research and reporting time this week.
Can you chip in £3 today?
👉 https://ko-fi.com/voxpolitical
The coming leadership contest isn’t just a personnel change.
It’s a test of whether the Greens can seize the moment — or whether, in a political landscape reshaped by populism, they’ll end up stuck on the sidelines – by their own design.
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Be among the first to know what’s going on! Here are the ways to manage it:
1) Register with us by clicking on ‘Subscribe’ (bottom right of the home page). You can then receive notifications of every new article that is posted here.
2) Follow VP on Twitter @VoxPolitical
3) Like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VoxPolitical/
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
4) You could even make Vox Political your homepage at http://voxpoliticalonline.com
5) Follow Vox Political writer Mike Sivier on BlueSky
6) Join the MeWe page at https://mewe.com/p-front/voxpolitical
7) Feel free to comment!
And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
Cruel Britannia is available
in either print or eBook format here:
The Livingstone Presumption is available
in either print or eBook format here:
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
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