That was the one time Polanski mentioned the new prime minister’s name, as he joked that the outcome of the post-wildfire government COBRA meeting was to ban outdoor grills.
The Green leader, currently a member of the London Assembly, also attacked Labour MPs for voting for the proscription of Palestine Action.
“Our MPs didn’t troop through the yes lobby. Our MPs were cowed by fear or malicious attacks in the press. They stood up for the principles we hold so dear,” he said.
Polanski is trying to position the party as the full-fat version of Burnham’s “end of neoliberalism” offering. This was set out in a strategy document earlier this summer, according to the Guardian,
“He is really speaking to what a lot of those disillusioned progressives wanted from Labour, and the reason why they left,” Tryl told POLITICO, arguing that the Greens should focus on the cost-of-living crisis and the environment as areas where they can claw back support.
A “timid budget” would “offer the opportunity for the Greens to come back in,” he said.
Tryl warned, however, about the “barnacles” on the party that may drive voters away, like a “Zionism is Racism” motion set to be debated Sunday.
Amid those debates on whether the party takes on a more radical agenda, Tryl said: “The question for Greens is do you want to be a pressure group that is pushing Labour to the left, or do you want to beat them outright.”