Green Party UK leader Zack Polanski is facing renewed scrutiny after questions emerged over claims he made about working at a government department during his political campaign.
Mr Polanski previously stated on a 2020 campaign website that he was “currently working at the Ministry of Justice on their training & diversity programmes.” However, the Ministry of Justice has reportedly said it has no record of him being employed in that capacity.
According to reports, he was instead engaged by a temporary agency as an actor participating in role-play exercises linked to recruitment and training processes within a justice-related assessment programme.
A spokesperson for Mr Polanski said he had worked on a “justice assessment committee”, describing it as a programme focused on improving diversity in judicial appointments. However, no such committee is understood to exist, and Mr Polanski has since acknowledged he was hired in an acting capacity.
The revelations come days after he admitted previously overstating his role as a spokesman for the Red Cross during his 2022 campaign to become the Green Party’s deputy leader.
Mr Polanski has faced a series of controversies in recent days, including criticism over comments about policing following a stabbing attack in Golders Green, where he questioned public perceptions of safety within the Jewish community.
He also drew criticism for remarks suggesting there may be a distinction between “perceived unsafety and actual unsafety” in relation to antisemitic incidents in the UK.
Before entering frontline politics, Mr Polanski worked as a hypnotherapist and appeared in media features demonstrating hypnosis techniques, including one widely reported newspaper segment involving a journalist.
Questions have also previously been raised over professional memberships he claimed to hold, as well as council tax arrangements linked to a houseboat he owned.
The Green Party has not yet issued a detailed response to the latest allegations.
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