The Green Party has warned that the use of foodbanks in the UK has become ‘normalised’, pointing to the fact that around 6.5 million people a year turn to charitable food providers and that one in five people doing so are from a working household [1].
In 2025, 2.9 million emergency food parcels were provided to people facing hardship across the UK between April 2024 and March 2025, with more than a million of these provided for children [2].
Green Party leader Zack Polanski and deputy leader, Rachel Millward, will use a visit to a Community Fridge in Sussex on Wednesday [3] to announce measures to end the ‘normalisation’ of food banks and tackle the ‘affordability crisis’. They will call for:
universal support with energy bills this winter
the extension of free school meals to all primary and secondary pupils
the introduction of rent controls – because housing costs are one of the greatest impacts on household poverty
the UK to join a customs union with the EU to reduce costs to businesses
the introduction of a 10:1 pay ratio which would help increase wages for those on lower incomes while limiting the salaries of high-paid executives.
Zack Polanski, leader of the Green Party said:
“The affordability crisis is something affecting nearly everyone, from the most vulnerable to people in work and comfortable, where any change in circumstance can push people over the edge into requiring a foodbank. This crisis is totally avoidable and down to choices made by this Labour government and previous Tory governments. The Greens have a plan which would make different choices, taking on corporate power and vested interests to give ordinary people a way out of this crisis”
Rachel Millward, deputy leader of the Green Party said:
“The UK is the sixth largest economy in the world [4] where the 50 richest families hold more wealth than the poorest 50% of the population [5]. Yet millions face food insecurity, food poverty and turn to foodbanks to prevent them going hungry. A high proportion of these are people from working households.
“It’s time to end the normalisation of food bank use and the scourge of food and energy poverty affecting so many families. Greens are bringing policies to the table to do just that.”
Hope beat hate – how Greens took on Reform in Kent… and won!
Hope beat hate – how Greens took on Reform in Kent… and won!
The Green Party has a new councillor on Kent County Council, but that’s only half the story.
Cllr Rob Yates – and his hundreds of campaigners – defied all the odds to defeat Reform in a “seismic” victory in a Margate by-election last week, upending all predictions, and leading the way for Greens looking to defeat Reform in May.
Greens vs Reform. Hope vs hate.
At the launch of the Green Party’s local election campaign last Thursday, Green Party leader Zack Polanski made clear what’s at stake at the ballot box in May:
“This election is between the Green Party and the Reform Party. It is a straight up battle between hope and hate.”
His message to voters was just as clear:
“We can reject the hate of Reform and instead bring in politics that actually benefits people’s lives, that improves their living standards, lowers their bills and redistributes power and wealth from the super wealthy into our communities”.
But can hope really beat hate? Can the people-powered Green Party take on Nigel Farage’s billionaire-backed Reform party and win?
We didn’t have to wait until May to find out.
The same day Zack was launching the Greens’ national election campaign with an affordable housing pledge in South London, local Green campaigners were out on the doorsteps in Margate to turn out the vote in a crucial council by-election.
No more no-go areas for the Green Party
The seat: Cliftonville. The council: Kent County Council. A Reform seat – won just last year with 40% of the vote – on a Reform-controlled council.
The Green Party came fourth in that 2025 election, but that didn’t deter candidate Rob Yates nor campaigners across the region. After all, the Green Party wasn’t supposed to win in the Gorton and Denton parliamentary by-election. And as with the waves of Green support that flocked to Manchester, Greens turned out in Margate.
On the day before the election, over 400 people joined Zack on the Margate seafront for an emergency rally called with just 24 hours’ notice – all inspired by the simple message that a vote for Rob was a vote for hope.
When voters in Cliftonville headed to the polling station the next day, they would not just be casting their ballots. They would be giving their verdict on a chaotic year of Reform control in Kent, and putting Zack Polanski’s argument that hope can triumph over hate to an early test.
The result was decisive. The people of Cliftonville voted hope.
As with Hannah Spencer’s victory in Gorton and Denton, Rob Yates defeat of Reform on home turf made one thing clear: there are no more no-go areas for the Green Party. Greens can take on Reform anywhere – and win.
“Greens are the antidote to Reform”
Reactions from Greens underscored the significance of the “seismic” result.
Having added county councillor to a resumé that already includes district councillor and a career in renewables, Rob Yates said the result “shows that across Kent and across the country the Greens are the antidote to Reform.”
Mark Hood, the Green Group leader on Kent County Council, said the result was “seismic” for Kent and for the country. “Reform lost this seat after less than a year due to their dismal record of failure, chaos and managed decline running Kent County Council. The defeat is a major embarrassment for Nigel Farage.”
And Green Party Leader Zack Polanski noted the pattern of wins vs Reform: “Greens are making a habit of taking on Reform – and winning! Robert Jenrick came to visit – as did Emily Thornberry. And their vote share both dropped. Huge congratulations to the entire Green Party team. People power wins the day once again!”
Greens are taking on Reform where you live – help us win
As Zack said at the campaign launch, it will be Greens vs Reform in May.
Greens beat Reform in Manchester and again in Kent thanks to the incredible turnout of Green campaigners.
Greens can beat Reform where you live – but that will depend on you.
We can win big all over the country in May – but we’ll need your help. You can help us replace Labour and defeat Reform. There are action days all over the country. Find one near you and sign up today.
Featured photo of Margate rally by Aldo Ciarrocchi
Hope beat hate – how Greens took on Reform in Kent… and won!
Hope beat hate – how Greens took on Reform in Kent… and won!
The Green Party has a new councillor on Kent County Council, but that’s only half the story.
Cllr Rob Yates – and his hundreds of campaigners – defied all the odds to defeat Reform in a “seismic” victory in a Margate by-election last week, upending all predictions, and leading the way for Greens looking to defeat Reform in May.
Greens vs Reform. Hope vs hate.
At the launch of the Green Party’s local election campaign last Thursday, Green Party leader Zack Polanski made clear what’s at stake at the ballot box in May:
“This election is between the Green Party and the Reform Party. It is a straight up battle between hope and hate.”
His message to voters was just as clear:
“We can reject the hate of Reform and instead bring in politics that actually benefits people’s lives, that improves their living standards, lowers their bills and redistributes power and wealth from the super wealthy into our communities”.
But can hope really beat hate? Can the people-powered Green Party take on Nigel Farage’s billionaire-backed Reform party and win?
We didn’t have to wait until May to find out.
The same day Zack was launching the Greens’ national election campaign with an affordable housing pledge in South London, local Green campaigners were out on the doorsteps in Margate to turn out the vote in a crucial council by-election.
No more no-go areas for the Green Party
The seat: Cliftonville. The council: Kent County Council. A Reform seat – won just last year with 40% of the vote – on a Reform-controlled council.
The Green Party came fourth in that 2025 election, but that didn’t deter candidate Rob Yates nor campaigners across the region. After all, the Green Party wasn’t supposed to win in the Gorton and Denton parliamentary by-election. And as with the waves of Green support that flocked to Manchester, Greens turned out in Margate.
On the day before the election, over 400 people joined Zack on the Margate seafront for an emergency rally called with just 24 hours’ notice – all inspired by the simple message that a vote for Rob was a vote for hope.
When voters in Cliftonville headed to the polling station the next day, they would not just be casting their ballots. They would be giving their verdict on a chaotic year of Reform control in Kent, and putting Zack Polanski’s argument that hope can triumph over hate to an early test.
The result was decisive. The people of Cliftonville voted hope.
As with Hannah Spencer’s victory in Gorton and Denton, Rob Yates defeat of Reform on home turf made one thing clear: there are no more no-go areas for the Green Party. Greens can take on Reform anywhere – and win.
“Greens are the antidote to Reform”
Reactions from Greens underscored the significance of the “seismic” result.
Having added county councillor to a resumé that already includes district councillor and a career in renewables, Rob Yates said the result “shows that across Kent and across the country the Greens are the antidote to Reform.”
Mark Hood, the Green Group leader on Kent County Council, said the result was “seismic” for Kent and for the country. “Reform lost this seat after less than a year due to their dismal record of failure, chaos and managed decline running Kent County Council. The defeat is a major embarrassment for Nigel Farage.”
And Green Party Leader Zack Polanski noted the pattern of wins vs Reform: “Greens are making a habit of taking on Reform – and winning! Robert Jenrick came to visit – as did Emily Thornberry. And their vote share both dropped. Huge congratulations to the entire Green Party team. People power wins the day once again!”
Greens are taking on Reform where you live – help us win
As Zack said at the campaign launch, it will be Greens vs Reform in May.
Greens beat Reform in Manchester and again in Kent thanks to the incredible turnout of Green campaigners.
Greens can beat Reform where you live – but that will depend on you.
We can win big all over the country in May – but we’ll need your help. You can help us replace Labour and defeat Reform. There are action days all over the country. Find one near you and sign up today.
Featured photo of Margate rally by Aldo Ciarrocchi
Green Party membership has grown by more than 2,000 a day, over 15,000 in a week, since our historic by-election victory in Gorton and Denton – rising from 200,000 members to over 215,000.
This milestone caps off a week of records for the Green Party.
Last Friday in the early hours, Hannah Spencer became our fifth MP, after winning the Gorton and Denton by-election – the first ever victory for the Green Party in a Parliamentary by-election.
The game-changing result for UK politics was followed by even more good news for the party, as the weekly Sky News YouGov poll put the Greens on 21% of the national vote.
This is the party’s highest level ever recorded, and put us ahead of both Labour and the Conservatives who were tied on 16% each. Crucially the poll put the Green Party within touching distance of Reform on 23%.
Hannah Spencer: “We’re breaking records left, right and centre and we’re ready to win across the country this May”
“I heard in Gorton and Denton time and time again, this was the first time that people had felt included in politics, and a genuine sense of hope. That hope was reflected in the ballot box last week, in the polls we’ve seen this week and in the huge surge of new party members. People like that we’re clear on not just pointing out the problems, but offering real world, practical solutions.”
“Across the country we’re hearing the same message: people are ready for bold action on cost of living, on housing, on the NHS, and on real democratic reform,” said Hannah. We’re breaking records left, right and centre and we’re ready to win across the country this May. And believe me when I say we’re only just getting started!”
“Labour clearly hasn’t learnt the lessons of the Gorton and Denton by-election. What we heard on the doorstep is that people don’t like Labour aping Reform’s grubby practice of blaming migrants for everything. These policies only divide our communities whereas we believe everyone should be treated with dignity, and respect – wherever you are from.”
As the party heads toward the local elections in England and the Senedd elections in Wales this May, we are looking to turn these recent polling, membership and by-election victories into substantial gains at the ballot box.
And you can help! Find out more about our next national action days and get involved.
Zack Polanski launches Green Party local election campaign with affordable housing pledge
Zack Polanski launched the Green Party’s local election campaign in Deptford on Thursday morning to a packed room of energetic Green Party candidates and campaigners.
In a speech kicking off the party’s campaign for the 7th May elections, Zack outlined the party’s hopes for record success in May, took aim at Labour’s failure in local and national government, and highlighted Green successes in creating affordable housing for local people.
Labour’s cosy £2000 dinner for developers
After condemning the Labour government’s record in Government – including its inaction in the face of Israel’s latest devastating attack on Lebanon – Zack zeroed in on Labour’s housing failures locally and nationally.
Citing local Labour councils’ failure to deliver sufficient social and affordable housing – and to even maintain existing social homes to a liveable standard – Zack also criticised Labour’s cosy relationship with housing industry lobbyists.
There was a special mention for Housing Secretary Steve Reed, who recently invited developers to join him for a chat over a £2000 a head dinner.
Zack suggested it wasn’t just a dinner and a chat with the Starmer-loyalist and former Labour Together man that developers were paying for… “They were spending it to make sure the MPs, and the ministers and the secretaries who make the decisions, they’re in their ear… It is outrageous and it is time for change.”
“And that change is coming in 28 days time”
But it’s not all doom and gloom. After exposing the rot that runs right through Labour from the Housing Secretary’s lobbying lunches down to the decaying social homes of Labour-led councils, Zack pointed to the change that is coming in just four weeks’ time.
On 7th May, voters across the country will have a chance to vote for grafting Green representatives with a commitment to residents’ top priorities and a track record of getting stuff done.
The Green Party’s newest MP, Hannah Spencer, was in the room for the campaign launch, and Zack made sure to shout out her extraordinary victory in Gorton and Denton and the work she is already getting done in Parliament (Hannah founded a cross-party group on fuel poverty in her first week on the job!)
While Hannah the plumber has spent her life fixing people’s homes, Zack made a point of highlighting the excellent track record of Greens who are getting them built.
Greens in administration in Lewes have built hundreds of council homes for the local community – while Greens in Bristol helped the council break records for new affordable housing just last year.
The party of renters
The Green Party’s commitment to affordable housing doesn’t end at building council and social homes. Private renters are too often forced to pay over the odds for poorly maintained, leaky homes – making them expensive to rent, and expensive to run.
Greens elected in May – such as Mayoral Candidates Zoë Garbett and Liam Shrivastava who spoke at the launch – will use their voice to pressure the Labour government to give local authorities the power to introduce rent controls to curb overheating rents in their area.
In Wales, where the Senedd already has that power (but Welsh Labour hasn’t used it…), Anthony Slaughter’s Greens have proposed a 1-year rent freeze while a system of rent controls is developed.
This would spare renters another unaffordable rent hike at a time when all their other bills and costs are only going up. In England, the path to rent controls may be longer, but renters can trust that elected Greens will continue to lead the way in the campaign against Labour and the landlord lobby.
Greens vs Reform. Hope vs hate.
Speaking at the launch, Zack made clear just what is at stake in May: “This election is between the Green Party and the Reform Party. It is a straight up a battle between hope and hate.”
Describing Nigel Farage’s billionaire-backed party as the “the party of war, the party of high bills, the party of corporate backers”, Zack presented the Green Party as the “last stand” against the toxicity of Reform’s politics and delivered a powerful message to voters:
“We can reject the hate of Reform and instead bring in politics that actually benefits people’s lives, that improves their living standards, lowers their bills and redistributes power and wealth from the super wealthy into our communities”.
And if you needed any more evidence that Greens can take on Reform and win, just look to Margate.
On Wednesday, over 400 activists joined Zack to support Green candidate Rob Yates in his campaign to unseat Reform in a by-election for the Cliftonville seat on Kent County Council… And the Green Party pulled off a stunning victory! Hope really can beat hate.
Want to see more Green wins in May? Get involved!
The Green Party is having a moment. Membership has tripled. Polling figures have tripled. So, Zack asked, what does success look like in May?
Well that’s all down to you.
Zack may be “confident but not complacent” that the party will outperform its record-breaking results from May 2023 – but you can remove all doubt.
The Green Party can win big all over the country in May – but we’ll need your help. You can help us replace Labour and defeat Reform. There are action days all over the country. Find one near you and sign up today.
