Zack Polanski's Greens storm onto Nigel Farage's Reform turf winning in Kent ahead of May elections

Zack Polanski ’s Green Party scored another shock win beating Nigel Farage ’s party in Kent .

Reform UK lost its first electoral test at its "flagship" council in Kent following the jailing of one of its councillors.

The Green Party's Rob Yates won the seat in Cliftonville, Thanet, with 2,068 votes, making up 39% of the vote, ahead of Marc Rattigan for Reform UK with 1,767 votes, or 33%.

The Green win, with a 27 percentage point jump from 12% at the 2025 county council elections , will send political shock ripples far beyond Kent including in London where Labour faces losing hundreds of seats at the May polls.

Mr Polanski, whose party also won the Gorton and Denton by-election , responded to the victory in Reform’s Kent territory, by posting on X: “Hang it in the Louvre.”
He added: “This is a stunning victory for the Greens, going from 4th place in a year to first place, beating Farage in an area that has been his heartlands.

“Reform and Labour took this by election very seriously, sending senior people to campaign in the last week but the Greens won and Labour again tanked.”
In London, Mr Polanski is standing in the May elections on a Left-wing platform which includes to hugely hike taxes on the wealthy to spend billions on tackling inequality.

The Greens are seeking to win control of at least four councils from Labour including Lambeth, Hackney, Islington and Southwark, as well as making significant gains in Sir Keir Starmer’s Camden town hall and Lewisham.

Mr Farage’s party is aiming to win councils in Outer London, targeting Bromley, Bexley, Havering, Hillingdon, as well as Barking and Dagenham.

But if the Greens can beat Reform in Kent it could sway predictions of how parties will fare in the May elections.

Mr Farage’s party is still leading in most polls, but has dropped in recent months from a peak of 30% or more.

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Green strategists believe some voters desperate for change are switching to their party from Reform as they offer a more positive and appealing message with rent controls, lowering bills and protecting the NHS.

They also think that former Conservatives including Robert Jenrick, Nadhim Zahawi and Romford MP Andrew Rosindell defecting to Reform has damaged its reputation as a party of change.

Mr Farage’s closeness to Donald Trump may also be hitting support for Reform, given the unpopularity of his Iran war in Britain and some other policies.

At the May elections, the Tories could lose some councils in Outer London to Reform, but gain Westminster, Wandsworth and Barnet which were won by Labour in 2022, the last time the borough polls were fought.

After his victory, Mr Yates said: "This result shows that across Kent and across the country the Greens are the antidote to Reform."
The 39-year-old is an offshore wind farmer and is currently a Thanet District Council member.

Kent County Council is seen as a test case for Reform policies but it has been dogged by internal rows.

The party also faces accusations of pledging council tax cuts and not delivering them, with the levy going up 3.99% in Kent this year.

Reacting to the loss of the by-election, a Reform UK spokesman said: "Marc and the team have run an incredible, positive and professional campaign in the midst of challenging circumstances.

"We'd like to thank voters for their support.

The overriding message from this result is, vote Conservative, get Green."
The Conservatives' candidate Charlie Leys came third in the by-election, gaining 811 votes, which accounted for 15% of the vote, and Labour’s Joanne Bright getting 557 votes, or 10%.

The by-election was triggered after ex-Reform UK councillor Daniel Taylor, of Ramsgate, Kent, was jailed for 12 months in February after admitting controlling and coercive behaviour towards his wife.

The 36-year-old was suspended from Reform after his arrest in June last year and expelled after he pleaded guilty to the crime in January.

Reform won control of Kent County Council in May last year, securing 57 out of 81 seats, but is currently down to 47 after removing some of them.

Elsewhere Liberal Democrats make up 12 members, newly-established Restore Britain Kent group make up seven, Conservatives hold six seats, Greens now hold six following Mr Yates's win and Labour have two.

In the Cliftonville seat last May, Reform UK won 40% of the vote, followed by Labour and the Conservatives behind them with 22% and 20% of the vote respectively, and the Greens 12%.

On the campaign trail, Mr Yates was backed by former Green Party leader and the party's first MP Caroline Lucas.

Mr Polanski made an appearance on the eve of the election and was heading to Ciftonville for a victory rally on Friday evening.