Green Party leader tells local activists that Labour should not feel “entitled” to votes in the borough at next month’s election, reports Nick Clark, Local Democracy Reporter

Green Party leader Zack Polanski (centre, brown coat) and to his left Newham mayoral candidate Areeq Choudhury in Stratford (credit Nick Clark/LDRS)

The Green Party is “confident but not complacent” about achieving good results at Newham’s local election next month, leader Zack Polanski has said.

Polanski told Green activists that Labour should not feel “entitled” to votes in the borough, after a day of campaigning on Saturday (11th).

He said: “Newham is not Labour’s area. Labour are not entitled to votes in Newham. The Green Party are ready to turn Newham Green.”

Elections for all 61 seats at Newham Council, as well as for the borough’s mayor, are set to take place on Thursday, 7th May.

Labour has controlled the council almost continuously since the local authority was formed in 1965. It currently dominates the council with 56 Labour councillors.

However, the Greens and the Newham Independents Party both hope to make significant gains.

Newham Independents beat Labour at by-elections for Boleyn and Plaistow North wards in 2023 and for Plaistow South in 2025.

Yet, Polanski insists next month’s contest in Newham “is between the Labour Party and the Green Party”.

He said he thought the Greens could challenge Labour through a combination of local and national issues.

Polanski said that if Green candidate Areeq Choudhury is elected as Newham’s mayor it would send a “clear signal” to Labour nationally, adding that “Keir Starmer is already on the ropes”.

But he added: “Journalists keep asking is this election a referendum on Keir Starmer. Your elections in Newham are about Newham.

“It’s not just about Keir Starmer, it’s about the people of Newham.”

Polanski declined to speak to Newham’s local press.

The Green leader told local members that how well the party performs in Newham depends on how much campaigning they are “willing to put in in the next 26 days”.

He said: “We’re confident but we’re not complacent.”

The Greens, Labour, Newham Independents and the Conservatives are each standing 61 council candidates in Newham.

Reform UK is standing 37 candidates, the Liberal Democrats 23 and the Christian Peoples Alliance (CPA) 18.

There are two candidates from the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition in Beckton, one from the Workers Party UK in East Ham, and one from Communities United in Plaistow North. There are also 17 independents.

Other candidates for Newham mayor are Labour’s Forhad Hussain, Conservative Terri Bloore, Newham Independents leader Mehmood Mirza, Lib Dem Laura Willoughby, CPA’s Bharath Swamy, Reform UK’s Clive Furness and Kamran Malik of Communities United.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service is aiming to interview all mayoral candidates ahead of the election.

No news is bad news

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.

Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.

Monthly direct debit

Annual direct debit

£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else.