Polanski has given one of the most significant speeches since becoming leader

The Green Party leader Zack Polanski has today (18 March) set out the three core economic principles that his party will follow. He outlined these in a major speech to the New Economics Foundation – one of the most significant speeches he has given since becoming leader of the party in September 2025.

In the speech, Polanski said of the what would underpin the party’s economic policy: “At the centre of everything, there will always be three very simple questions. How do we make life more affordable? How do we back the caring majority over the wealthy elite? And how do we protect our planet for generations to come?” 

Elsewhere in the speech, Polanski outlined his party’s proposals to address the cost of living crisis and end what he termed ‘rip-off Britain’. He said that he wanted to “rebalance the scales so that our hard earned money is ours again, so we can chose to save it for a weekend away, to pick up a gift for mum on the way to see her – or put something away for the kids for when they need it.”

What would that ‘rebalancing’ look like? Polanski’s focus in the speech was on reducing utility bills and lowering housing costs. He outlined that the party would seek to introduce rent controls, cap the costs of energy and take water into public ownership.

“With those three measures – rent controls, bringing water into public hands, and cutting energy bills – we start to end Rip Off Britain”, Polanski said.

On rent controls, Polanski said: “If we had frozen rents in autumn 2022, households in Britain would be saving over £3,300 per year on average. Across Britain, that would put £18bn of purchasing power back in the pockets of ordinary people – money that could be spent in local businesses, buying a coffee on the way to work or a few pints at the end of a hard week.

“Instead? straight into landlords’ pockets – leaving our high streets hollowed out. Our brilliant Green MP Carla Denyer tried to fix this scandal, pushing for rent controls to be included in the Renters Rights Bill – but this Labour government just wouldn’t listen. A Green government would bring in rent controls. We would stop the chokehold of rip-off rents and breathe life back into our communities.” 

Meanwhile, on water, Polanski said: “Since the water sell-off, bills have increased by 44% in real terms, while the industry has accrued £72 billion of debt – and as customers, we carry the burden of that debt. A third of our soaring water bills go towards paying dividends and servicing that debt, while the companies taking the money flush sewage into our rivers and seas seemingly at will. 

This sewage crisis isn’t just about dirty water. It’s about the collapse of river ecosystems. The insects, the fish, the birds that depend on them, and the farmers, fishers and communities that depend on those in turn. Nature isn’t separate from our economy.  It is the foundation of the economy. And right now we’re letting it be destroyed – and for what? For shareholder returns.

So we’d fix this – ending the scandal of shareholder profit and bringing water back into public hands, so every penny we pay goes into making the service better.”

And on energy bills, Polanski added: “The government should guarantee right now that it will not allow energy bills to rise beyond the April-June price cap – instead setting aside approximately £8.4 billion to prevent a rise of up to £300 per household that could be coming down the track. “

Polanski said that the costs of capping energy bills at this level could be covered by maintaining the windfall tax on energy companies and removing the exemptions for investing in fossil fuels, introducing a tax on ‘extreme wealth’ and equalising capital gains tax and income tax. He said that introducing a wealth tax should be a “day one priority” for a “truly progressive government”.

Chris Jarvis is head of strategy and development at Left Foot Forward

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