Starmer is ‘not a man I would be willing to work with’, says Green Party leader
Zack Polanski said Sir Keir Starmer “is not a man I would be willing to work with”, when asked if the Green Party would make a deal with Labour to defeat Reform UK.
Mr Polanski suggested he doubts whether the Prime Minister will be an MP at the next election.
The self-described “eco-populist” did not rule out working with another Labour leader but said it depends who is in the role.
He told Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips on Sky News that Nottingham East MP Nadia Whittome would be “excellent”, but: “I don’t think it’s something she’s necessarily (got) in her ambitions right now.”
He said: “A poll out yesterday showed the majority of the population have completely lost trust in Keir Starmer, now this is a man who ran on the coattails of Jeremy Corbyn but ditched every single pledge before he was even in power.
“We’ve got the two-child benefit cap, the disability cuts, the genocide in Gaza – no, Keir Starmer is not a man I would be willing to work with.
“I don’t think Keir Starmer will be the prime minister at the next election – I think it’s another question whether he’ll even be an MP – and so will I work with a future Labour leader? Depends who the future Labour leader is.”
It was put to the Green Party leader that he would make “no electoral deal, however informal” with Labour even though a division on the left could let Reform into Number 10.
Mr Polanski highlighted a poll this week that put his party three points ahead of Labour, placing Sir Keir’s party fourth.
He added: “The real question you should be asking Keir Starmer is: will he stand aside to make sure that Nigel Farage isn’t prime minister?”
Wednesday’s Find Out Now survey, which interviewed 2,717 Britons on their voting intention, put Greens at 18% and Labour at 15%.
The poll placed Reform UK at 33% and the Conservative Party at 16%.
Peace
During his interview on the Sky News programme, Mr Polanski was wearing a white poppy which he said was created “mainly from women’s groups who were talking about peace and anti-fascism” after the First World War.
He said it symbolises “looking ahead to the future and saying, we want a world of peace”.
The Green Party wants to see every country de-nuclearise, including Russia, and it was put to the leader “that would be in the realms of miracle”.
Mr Polanski responded: “These are really serious issues and at the same time I believe we should never leave the negotiating table.
“Part of that is showing both the moral and courageous leadership to come on TV and say to you – even though this might be a position that’s ridiculed – I don’t think we should find peace and diplomacy ridiculous, I think actually the most brave and courageous and authentic to do is say ‘I believe we can have a world without war’.”
Asked if he would negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Mr Polanski said: “Undoubtedly. I think it would be sociopathic behaviour to say you wouldn’t negotiate with the president or a prime minister of any country.”
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The usual motherhood and apple pie from a watermelon…
How can anyone work with Starmer when he’s never in the UK
Can’t vote for them then. They are out to help defeat reform at the very least. Defence stance is bad as well. Putin doesn’t do talking unless its his terms.
I was once sacked by a chap called Polanski…above a waterfall, I have it on video…
All a rather ‘empty’ set of revelations there. Surely there’s something more that could have been discussed.
So he’s against an agreement there’s no prospect of being offered in any event, in favour of a Labour leader there’s no prospect of having and in favour of a policy there’s no prospect of delivering.
Sure not ruling out diplomatic negotiations with anyone in particular is nominally pragmatic but without any context or details, is an essentially meaningless commitment.
Honeymoon period over then. Like most of the left-left what he really wants is a hard right government in power, just as they have enabled for most of a century on this island.
How can it be sociopathic to refuse to negotiate with the leader of a rogue nation but not the leader of a party the electorate have asked you to form a coalition with.
Labour gave up on the people and the movement that spawned them, which has resigned them to irrelevance.
Hopefully there can be enough greens in may for a Plaid-green coalition