Zack Polanski’s approval ratings have hit a record low in the wake of splits within his party and public controversy over his party’s motion stating “Zionism is racism”.
The Green Party leader has faced calls from his own members to quit in recent weeks following the motion and his by-election loss to Labour in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election.
Mr Polanski now has the lowest popularity of any national leader, with his overall rating falling to minus 36.
A new survey by Ipsos in October found 52 per cent of the public said they had an unfavourable view of him, a six point rise since September.
It marks the first time more than half the population had expressed a negative opinion of him, while just 16 per cent said they had a positive view of Mr Polanski.
The poll suggested much of the opposition to Mr Polanski is concentrated among older groups, but he has also lost ground among under-35s, falling from a net score of plus 16 in April to just plus two.
He has faced both internal and external criticism of his leadership after the Green Party conference in Brighton backed a motion describing Zionism as “racism”.
The leader of the Jewish Greens, Vivien Lichtenstein, has called for Mr Polanski to resign and said he made a “big mistake” by missing a debate about a party conference motion that declared Zionism to be a form of racism.
She is among a number of senior Green figures to have criticised Mr Polanski and raised concerns about whether he should continue to lead the party, with former leader Caroline Lucas accusing him of a failure in leadership and another long-term senior figure telling The Independent that the situation is “untenable”.
Labour has also issued an ultimatum to local Green groups it is currently in coalition with, telling them to disown the motion or lose the party’s support.
The motion passed at the Green Party’s Brighton conference with about 1,000 members voting in favour and some 800 against.
Mr Polanski sought to distance himself from the vote last Friday, saying he would only have supported an amended motion.
Just days after the conference decision, Mr Polanski suffered a further setback when he was defeated at the Holborn and St Pancras by-election.
The Ipsos poll, conducted in the immediate wake of that by-election, found Andy Burnham remained the only senior UK politician with an overall positive favourability score.
The prime minister enjoys a net favourability score of plus eight, while Kemi Badenoch’s score is minus 12 and Sir Ed Davey’s is minus 15.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage’s overall score is minus 31, with some 56 per cent of people saying they have an unfavourable view of him.
Keiran Pedley, UK director of politics at Ipsos, said the public had noticed that it had been a “bruising month” for Mr Polanski.
Mr Pedley added: “Andy Burnham appears to be in the ascendancy for the battle for hearts and minds on the left, with 2024 Green voters almost as positive towards him as the leader of the Green Party itself.”
