Zack Polanski visits Lewisham as Greens report surge in support

Over 600 party members signed up for the Lewisham Greens' Big Day Out, to support Councillor Liam Shrivastava's bid for Lewisham mayor and to campaign for Green councillors in the local elections.

"It's a phenomenal turnout," Shrivastava said. "I don't think we've seen anything like this in Lewisham for a very long time."

The assembly hall in Beecroft Primary school was packed and long-standing Lewisham Green Party members seemed happily stunned at the huge increase in support they have seen.

Andy Stephens, membership secretary told Salamander that membership has risen from 500 to 2,570 in the past year.

"It's an all-out election and every single council seat is up for grabs. And obviously, the mayorality is up for grabs," Shrivastava said.

"We have the ability to seriously redraw the political map in Lewisham, it's a very, very exciting time."

Zack Polanski arrived surrounded by BBC crew, who had been filming him in Crofton Park with BBC journalist Laura Keunssberg for her politics show, Sunday with Laura Keunssberg.

The media buzz was a sign of the Green Party's rising significance in London and nationally.

Salamander was fitted in for an interview after the BBC and The Guardian, before Finnish National Broadcaster Yle, a media outlet from Brussels and others.

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"I think Liam would make a phenomenal difference to Lewisham," Polanski said.

"To have a mayor who is not bought off by vested interests, who will make the case for affordable housing, for council housing and not for property developers.

"To have a mayor who will speak up for the poorest people in Lewisham and not defend the interests of the super rich would be incredibly important."

'Lewisham has been a Labour stronghold'

"But the other thing that's interesting about Lewisham is it's previously been known as a Labour stronghold, but what we're hearing on the doorsteps over and over again is that people are absolutely not, in any circumstances, going to vote for the Labour Party, not just because of Keir Starmer, but because they've seen the breaking down of the whole project.

"So being able to win more Green councillors and the Green mayor in Lewisham sends a very strong message - most importantly for Lewisham because it matters who represents them - but also to the whole country, that voting Green you get a real alternative who will stand for the community, who will actually stand for the most vulnerable and the poorest people in the community and improve our public services."

We asked Polanski whether he thought a similar surge in support was happening in other London boroughs.

"Yeah, I think so," he said. "I think Hackney is the other obvious place, where Zoe Garber is running for mayor of Hackney. I'm hearing the same things on the doorstep - that people are really tired of the old two parties and want some difference.

"But in Nigel Farage they see the politics of hate and division and in the Green Party with a complete antithesis they see politics of community, of hope and also tangible policies to reduce people's bills."

Shrivastava said: "We've been told this it the biggest Green Party action day ever.

"And at the same time that we were having our event, Manchester was having theirs, in Gorton. There's a huge turnout there as well.

"So, today feels very seismic."

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