Green Party
Green Party of England and Wales; won control of Hackney and Lewisham in May 2026.
On 27 August, the Green Party won the Guston, Kingsdown and St Margaret's-at-Cliffe ward in Dover with 28.8%, ahead of Reform UK on 27.5%.
Last refreshed: 7 October 2026 · Appears in 3 active topics
Can the Greens turn Hackney and Lewisham mayoralties into a durable third force?
Timeline for Green Party
Passed a motion titled Zionism is racism
UK Local Elections 2026: Davey rules out a national Green pactMentioned in: Reform loses councillors after ITV clips
UK Local Elections 2026Mentioned in: YouGov puts Reform third behind Tories
UK Local Elections 2026Finished second in Holborn and St Pancras
UK Local Elections 2026: Labour holds Holborn as Greens close inMentioned in: Labour takes Hirst and Amble from Reform
UK Local Elections 2026Background
The Green Party of England and Wales has been led by Zack Polanski since September 2025. By April 2026 its membership had tripled under him to about 220,000, and on 26 February its candidate Hannah Spencer won the Gorton and Denton by-election with 40.7%.
The party's 2026 local campaign, launched in Deptford on 10 April, targeted Labour's inner-London boroughs. On 7 May it won Hackney and Waltham Forest outright and both the Hackney and Lewisham mayoralties, finishing the night with 543 council seats and four councils.
Those results give the party its first record of running London boroughs. Its by-election wins have come against both Labour and Reform UK, from a Kent County Council seat taken from Reform on 9 April to a Dover ward on 27 August.
Green gains extend beyond London
On 7 May, the Green Party won control of Hackney and Waltham Forest, and its candidates Zoë Garbett and Liam Shrivastava took the Hackney and Lewisham mayoralties from Labour. They were the first Green elected mayors of any London borough. Nationally the party added 370 net council seats to reach 543 and took four councils outright.
Its by-election record since then has reached well outside the capital. On 16 July it took Fletton and Woodston in Peterborough from Labour. On 6 August it gained Hooley, Merstham and Netherne in Reigate and Banstead from the Conservatives on 41.8%, and on 27 August it won a Dover ward on 28.8%, narrowly ahead of Reform UK.
The Green poll surge peaked in April
YouGov put the Green Party level with Labour on 16% in its 6-7 April fieldwork, the first time the two had drawn level nationally. Its 19-20 April poll then had The Greens on 17% against Labour's 16%, the first national poll in which the party led Labour outright.
The lead did not hold once the party began governing. YouGov had The Greens on 15% at the start of June and 13% in early July. Its 12-13 July fieldwork showed a two-point rise back to 15%, taken just after Andy Burnham's leadership was confirmed.
The Greens draw level with Labour
What did the Green Party win in the May 2026 local elections?
Did the Greens beat Reform UK in any by-elections?
Who is Zack Polanski and what has he done for the Green Party?
Are the Greens polling ahead of Labour in 2026?
Greens convert polling into council power
Did the Green Party win any council seats in July 2026?
Reference
Are the Green Party and the Wales Green Party the same organisation?
What is the Green Party's position on the UK's involvement in Iran?
Who leads the Green Party?
When did the Greens first win a Westminster by-election?
Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 7 October 2026. Editorial standards.