Green Party leader Zack Polanski delivers his speech on the first day of the Green Party Conference at Bournemouth International Centre at Bournemouth International Centre on October 03, 2025 in Bournemouth, England. Five Labour councillors have defected to the Greens in a further boost for party leader Zack Polanski. The politicians, who sit on Brent Council, said they had become disillusioned with Labour’s direction under Keir Starmer. It is the biggest mass defection from Labour to the Greens as the environmental party continues to enjoy a surge in support. The five defectors include Harabi Farah, a former cabinet member on the council, and former Labour whip Iman Ahmadi Moghaddam. Polanski said: “The Green surge has just widened in London. “What we’re witnessing in Brent mirrors what we’re hearing across the country on doorsteps and in polls. “Good Labour councillors can see Labour has abandoned any sense of progressive politics and is showing absolute cowardice in its doomed attempt to out Reform, Reform with the politics of division and scapegoating. “Increasingly, people are finding the alternative they need by joining the Green Party and working for a better world shaped by hope rather than fear. “In the elections in May, it is the Greens who will be taking the fight to Reform and we show our intent today in Brent. This is just the start.” The chair of the London Green Party Federation, Eugene McCarthy, said: “This huge defection reflects what we are hearing on the doorstep. Labour aren’t prepared for what’s coming in May’s local elections.” The Brent division of the Green Party also welcomed the news, saying: “Brent is the most diverse borough in London, rich in history and culture, yet years of Labour and Tory austerity have taken a heavy toll. “Services continue to shrink, in-work poverty is rising, families are under pressure, and local businesses face growing uncertainty. In one of the world’s wealthiest cities, such inequality is indefensible.” Polanski was only elected Green leader in September, and has overseen a huge boost in the polls for the fringe party and soaring membership. As of December, the Greens has more than 180,000 members – meaning it has more than doubled in the last three months, and overtaken the Conservative Party in membership numbers. Researchers at Opinium also found Polanski is the most popular party leader in the UK recently. Related... 'Government Of Cowards!' Zack Polanski Slams Labour For Its Approach To Migration Green Leader Zack Polanski Says It's 'Very Tempting' To Stand Against Starmer In His Seat Zack Polanski: 'Labour Has Lost Its Soul On Immigration, Their Silent MPs Should Be Ashamed'