Zack Polanski’s big gamble — and the plan if it fails

LONDON — Green leader Zack Polanski is fighting the battle of his political life — and the lines for failure are already being prepped. Voters in Holborn and St Pancras will head to the polls next Thursday to replace Keir Starmer, the former prime minister who quit Parliament, with a new MP. Polanski, the leader of the left-wing populist Green Party, is seeking to kickstart his party's stalled momentum by grabbing the seat, which has been held by Labour since its creation in 1983. But even Polanski's closest allies admit his decision to stand here is a “high risk, high reward” strategy. The vote comes just days after new Prime Minister Andy Burnham cheered his center-left party with a shift onto ground the Greens have long occupied.