Zack Polanski falsely claimed to be a spokesperson for the British Red Cross

Zack Polanski falsely claimed to have been a “spokesperson” for the British Red Cross while fundraising for his successful campaign to become deputy leader of the Green Party, according to an investigation by The Times.

The newspaper reports that Polanski, now the party’s leader, repeatedly described himself as a spokesperson for the charity on his personal website and on crowdfunding pages during the 2022 deputy leadership contest.

The British Red Cross has denied the claim and said it had raised the matter with his team.

The investigation also raised questions about a series of claims made by Polanski about his professional background before entering politics, when he worked as an actor, nightclub promoter and hypnotherapist.

According to The Times, Polanski stated on his website in 2020 that he had worked as a spokesperson for the British Red Cross and said he was “really proud of the work we do”.

He repeated the description two years later on a Crowdfunder page while seeking donations for his deputy leadership campaign, writing: “As a spokesperson for the British Red Cross, I care deeply about ending racialised policing and have been calling for an end to the phoney war on drugs.”

The British Red Cross told The Times that Polanski “has not been a spokesperson”.

In response, the Green Party said Polanski had acted as a host “for several fundraisers for the British Red Cross”.

Separate questions were also raised about Polanski’s former work as a hypnotherapist. The Times reports that he was not a full member of the National Council of Hypnotherapy, despite claims made to clients while practising.

In 2013, The Sun in 2013 reported that Polanski attempted to enlarge a reporter’s breasts using hypnotherapy. Since joining the Green Party leadership, he has said he “never believed” hypnotherapy could enlarge breasts and was never paid to attempt it.