Polanski says he was wrong to claim he was a Red Cross spokesman

Green Party leader Zack Polanski has acknowledged he was wrong to say he had been a spokesman for the British Red Cross.

On Tuesday, The Times reported that Polanski had falsely made the claim in 2022 while campaigning to be the deputy leader of his party.

Speaking to the BBC's Today programme, Polanski said he had hosted fundraisers for the charity in the past but accepted he had used "the wrong word" when describing himself as a spokesman.

"It's important though, and I accept this, that they [the Red Cross] don't support any political party and I've made sure that that's been taken down," he said.

In its report, The Times said Polanski had described himself as a Red Cross spokesman on his personal website in 2020 and again two years later on a crowdfunding page.

Polanski, who was elected leader of the Green Party of England and Wales last year, said it was "fine" for the media to ask him questions about his past but said "some of these stories about me feel like scraping the barrel".

He later said that "owners of the right-wing media, multi-millionaires and billionaires" were "worried" about the rise of the Green Party and "the prospect of having to pay a little bit more tax".

A British Red Cross spokesperson said: "We are a neutral and impartial humanitarian organisation and to protect our vital work, we do not take part in party-political activity or campaigns."

A Labour Party spokesperson said: "It's not the first time the Green Party leader hasn't been straight with the public. He refuses to say if his council candidates have been suspended for vile antisemitism after claiming to have acted. Now there are serious questions about the work and qualifications he has boasted about. This is a matter of trust."

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said Polanski was "a man who is in over his head, who clearly thinks politics is something fun to do".

Polanski was speaking to the BBC on the day before polls open for elections in Scotland, Wales and England.

The Green Party is hoping to make gains, particularly in urban areas where they are challenging traditional Labour strongholds.

However, during the campaign some of the party's candidates have been accused of making antisemitic comments.

Polanski said their messages were "unacceptable" and that the party would be implementing a "standardised vetting process" in the future as well as mandatory training for candidates "to make it clear that antisemitism is completely unwelcome" in the party.

"It is also important to say one case of antisemitism is one too many. This is a handful of cases and actually we have over 4,500 candidates, the vast, vast majority of which are doing amazing work in their communities right now," he added.

Under Polanski's leadership the party has risen in the polls and seen a surge in the number of party members.

Asked if he was ready to be prime minister, Polanski replied: "I'm not ready now" adding that he still had a lot of "skills and knowledge" to get.

Asked if he would be ready in two years, he said "we'll see, but I will certainly be putting in the work".

Sign up for our Politics Essential newsletter to keep up with the inner workings of Westminster and beyond.