The riddle of how Zack Polanski was registered to vote under TWO different names as Green leader is picked to fight for Keir Starmer’s old seat
Zack Polanski, leader of the Green Party, has been selected as his party's candidate for the Holborn and St Pancras by-election on 8 October, called to replace Sir Keir Starmer as MP. The announcement was overshadowed by a Daily Mail finding that Mr Polanski was registered to vote under two separate names, Zack Polanski and his birth name David Paulden, at the same London address in both 2020 and 2021, with both entries showing him eligible to cast a vote. The Green Party says the duplication stemmed from a council administrative error rather than any wrongdoing, but the episode raises awkward questions just as he steps up his bid to become an MP.
Electoral registers for Latimer House in Fitzrovia, examined by the Mail via the British Library archives, show both names listed as separate voters in the years Mr Polanski contested the Cities of London and Westminster seat and later won a London Assembly seat. The Green Party says he changed his name by deed poll in April 2019, promptly notified Westminster Council, and later flagged the duplicate entry again in March 2021, insisting he never voted more than once; lawyers acting for him have also written to the Mail reiterating this. It is not the only administrative controversy to affect him, having earlier this year apologised over an "unintentional mistake" involving unpaid council tax on a houseboat.
In short
- Polanski picked as Green candidate for Starmer's old seat, Holborn and St Pancras
- He was registered to vote under two names, Polanski and Paulden, in 2020-21
- Greens blame a council error; say he never voted twice
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The duplicate entries merit scrutiny because electoral registers showed both names at the same address as eligible voters, and accurate records are important to public confidence in elections. Voters may reasonably expect a candidate to explain how the duplication arose and what steps were taken to correct it, particularly given the separate council tax error reported earlier.
The case against
A duplicate register entry does not by itself show that Polanski acted improperly or voted twice. The Green Party says he notified the council of his deed poll name change and later flagged the duplicate, while his lawyers say he never voted more than once; if the council failed to update its records, that would be an administrative error rather than evidence of misconduct by him.
Explained simply
Zack Polanski is the leader of the Green Party, which campaigns on environmental issues and stands candidates in UK elections. He was born David Paulden and says he changed his name by deed poll in 2019; local councils use electoral registers to record who is eligible to vote.
The reported entries concern two listings at the same address, under both names, in registers for 2020 and 2021. The Green Party says a council administrative error caused the duplication, that Polanski reported it and that he did not vote more than once. Electoral registration is handled by local councils, while knowingly voting more than once in the same election is unlawful.
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