Polanski skips City Hall duties as he throws everything at Holborn by-election bid

The London Assembly member has not attended a full City Hall session since being selected as the Greens' candidate to succeed Sir Keir Starmer in the north London constituency, according to attendance records.Mr Polanski, who was elected to the Assembly in 2021 and receives a salary of £66,390, is fighting one of the most closely watched by-election campaigns in Britain. Polling day takes place on Thursday, with Labour's Sagal Abdi-Wali widely regarded as the favourite but the Greens are hoping to pull off a major upset.The contest has assumed growing national significance for Mr Polanski, who became Green Party leader last year and is seeking to become one of only a handful of Green MPs at Westminster.Zack Polanski and Zoe Garbett with Green Party candidates and activistsLDRSThe vote sparked fierce criticism from political opponents and deep divisions within the party, with the issue becoming one of the defining controversies of the final week of the campaign.Against that backdrop, Mr Polanski has focused heavily on canvassing in Holborn and St Pancras, encouraging activists to prioritise campaigning in the constituency.Since declaring his interest in the seat in early September, he has given apologies for four committee meetings and left a session of Mayor's Question Time after putting a question to Sir Sadiq Khan.The meetings he did not attend included the Economy, Culture and Skills Committee, where he serves as deputy chairman, as well as sessions of the Fire Committee, Budget and Performance Committee and a full Assembly plenary meeting.A City Hall source criticised the absentee record, saying: "Of course these are special circumstances, but if Zack can prioritise a somewhat selective presence at his party conference in Brighton, surely he can find time to do the job he's actually been elected to do, as well as chasing the job he'd rather have?"Read MoreAnalysis of Assembly records shows Mr Polanski has recorded 26 absences from 257 Assembly and committee meetings since entering City Hall in 2021, with around half of those absences coming since he became Green Party leader in September 2025.Polanski plans to step down from the London Assembly if elected as an MPLDRSA spokesman for Mr Polanski said his attendance record remained "exemplary" and stressed it was common practice for Assembly members to send substitutes when they were unable to attend meetings.The spokesman added that Mr Polanski had always submitted his apologies in advance and had occasionally needed to prioritise campaigning commitments alongside his responsibilities as Green Party leader.Image suggestion: I'd use a recent image of Polanski canvassing in Holborn and St Pancras, or alternatively one from the Brighton conference. Both are more relevant than a standard City Hall file picture because they visually reinforce the central argument of the story: that he is focused on the campaign rather than Assembly business.