Greens leader Polanski hits back at ‘vile’ Labour
Greens leader Zack Polanski has hit back at Labour over his party’s drugs policy as campaigning in the Gorton and Denton by-election enters its final 48 hours.
Mr Polanski, on another visit to the constituency, defended his party’s policy after Sir Keir Starmer said as a father of a teenager, the Greens’ plan to legalise drugs was “disgusting”.
Labour also claimed the policy would turn parks and playgrounds into “crack dens”.
But Mr Polanski told the Press Association: “Let me speak with absolute clarity.
“What Keir Starmer and this Labour Government have said on drugs policy is vile. It debases politics.
“And actually, I think people are sick of it, because I think people recognise it’s an attack on a party that’s trying to have a sensible grown up conversation about a really serious issue.
“We have the worst amount of drug deaths in the whole of Europe, and I think that fact’s often missing from this conversation.”
Mr Polanski said the “war on drugs” had failed and his party was talking about taking a “public health” approach to a serious issue, accusing Labour of “cheap political attacks for short term gains”.
He said: “Sadly, in a playground, people have access to drugs. So, what we’re talking about is regulating drugs.
“We are talking about regulating drugs and controlling drugs, because the war on drugs has failed. We need a different approach.”
Labour faces a battle to save the previously rock-solid Greater Manchester constituency in the face of a double electoral threat from both Matt Goodwin, the Reform UK candidate and Hannah Spencer, standing for the Greens.
In 2024 Labour won the seat with a majority of 13,413 and more than half the vote, but the party’s plummeting popularity since Sir Keir entered No 10 means it could be vulnerable.
The Prime Minister made his first visit to the constituency on Tuesday, ahead of voters going to the polls on Thursday, telling Labour Party activists the election was a “battle of values” and voting Green would lead to “toxic” Reform taking the seat.
Mr Polanski claimed his party’s campaign was going “amazingly well” but a Reform win would be “deeply damaging”.
He defended his description of the conflict in Gaza as a “genocide” which he claimed the Labour Government was “enabling”.
Mr Polanski added: “What happened on October 7 was absolutely outrageous and a horrific attack.
“And nothing justifies what Israel had done for the last couple of years.
“That again, our Government is not just complicit in, but actively enabling.
“We could certainly stop our role in this by stopping selling arms to Israel by stopping sharing intelligence, and making sure that we’re speaking with one voice and it’s time to end the genocide.”
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Very to hear Starmer claim any policy is “disgusting” without evidence when he: – appointed a known friend of a paedophile and sex trafficker to be US ambassador, – kicked out MPs for supporting a position on the two-child benefit cap that he later tried to champion himself, – decided to go after the poor, the disabled, and pensioners instead of billionaires and millionaires, – parroted Enoch Powell, – U-turned on every pledge he made in his leadership campaign, – refused to condemn ethnic cleansing in Gaza, – stuck with the same fiscal rules that have made most people poorer… Read more »
Legalising drugs like coccaine etc would indeed be disgusting. It would lead to the end of society as we know it. Polanski is as dangerous as Farage. Our politicians continue to plumb the depths.
Despite axing Mandelson stooge McSweeney it would appear that Labour is still aping McSweeney’s disastrous strategy of trying to win Reform votes. The best outcome for such a nauseating and cynical strategy is that Labour are annhiliated by the Greens in Thursday’s by-election.