While it was not explicitly discussed at that meeting, the official said: “There was a general assumption that if it’s a seat which is sort of in central London and we have a good chance, Zack would run for it.” 

“Zack is our biggest gun, so I think we need to deploy him for the biggest battles. This is one of those big battles,” they added. 

Polanski had already been sounding out his allies and advisers about whether he should put himself up for selection as the candidate via WhatsApp. The Green Party staff team were more hesitant, but those closest to him gave him the thumbs-up, according to the Green politician quoted above.

There is no “route to victory” without the Green leader as the candidate, said Russell Warfield, a close ally of Polanski, and author of “The Green Socialist” — a book about the Green leader's political rise.

“The only route is to attach the propulsive, star power of the party leader, and do something like the 2024 Corbyn campaign which brought together a wide range of activists on the left who saw the value of putting that person in parliament,” he said. “It was the right thing for him to run.” 

Polanski has gained credit for turbocharging the Green membership since he took over as leader just over a year ago — but this is the first time he will personally be judged by voters.