Green Party forced to return Zack Polanski’s donation on legal grounds

The Green Party has been forced to return a donation from Zack Polanski after he was blocked from gifting funds under electoral law.

Electoral Commission data shows Mr Polanski made a £1,539.45 donation in September last year, weeks after becoming the Green Party’s leader.

But the donation was found to be impermissible under electoral law as he was not on the electoral register at the time, the Financial Times reports.

Electoral Commission rules state such donations must be returned within 30 days of receipt, but according to official data, the Green Party reported the donation in October last year and only returned the money on June 10 2026.

The Electoral Commission said: “We are currently considering this under our regulatory remit, so we cannot comment further at this time. This is not the subject of an investigation by the Commission.”

The Commission’s guidance on impermissible donations states that if a party keeps the impermissible donation after the 30 days, they are deemed to have accepted it.

It reads: “If your party accepts an impermissible donation, your party may be subject to civil sanctions. The party and the treasurer may also have committed criminal offences.”

The Independent has contacted the Green Party, but a spokesperson told the Financial Times Mr Polanski was “not on the electoral register because of personal security concerns”.

“When the issue was brought to the national party’s attention, the donation was returned,” they said.

Chair of the Labour Party, Anna Turley, accused Mr Polanski of having a “growing track record of thinking the rules don’t apply to him”.

“Not paying council tax, and repeatedly misleading the public over his previous jobs, over where he lived and even over whether he had voted in the local elections,” she said.

“Now it turns out that he tried to make a political donation of over £1,500 without being registered to vote in the UK - a basic requirement which anyone in his position should know about.

“Polanski wants people to think he receives an unfair level of scrutiny but it’s only right that the public know when politicians haven’t been following the rules. It’s the least the British people should be able to expect from those seeking high office.”

Earlier this year, the Green Party confirmed Mr Polanski was unable to vote in May’s local elections due to being in the process of moving house amid security concerns.

“Zack was unable to vote. He was in the process of moving and when that fell through, he moved in as a lodger in rented accommodation,” a spokesperson for the Green Party said at the time.

“He fell short of time to register at a new place, especially given the extra process he would need to go through to register anonymously. Zack has recently had increased security concerns after being the target of antisemitic and homophobic abuse.”

The admin controversy came amid a row over a claim that Mr Polanski did not pay the correct council tax amount while living on a houseboat in London.

A spokesperson for the Green Party characterised the situation as an “unintentional mistake” and said he had “immediately taken steps” to settle any outstanding tax.

“Until relatively recently, Zack was living on a houseboat, which came with its own unique practical circumstances and considerations,” they said. “He has immediately taken steps to pay any council tax he may be found to owe. Zack apologises sincerely for the unintentional mistake.”