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Zack Polanski is the most unpopular he has been since becoming Green Party leader, a new poll suggests. The YouGov survey, published the day before the local elections, shows the number of Britons with an unfavourable view of the Green leader has risen to 47%.

This is a jump of eight points from the week before and comes as he has been embroiled in a series of rows. It is almost double the 22% who have a positive view of Mr Polanski in the poll of 2,377 adults between May 4 and 5.

The pollster said it is the worst rating it has recorded for him since he became Green leader last year.

It is a blow ahead of the local elections, where millions of voters will take to the polls for English councils and the Scottish and Welsh parliaments.

It comes as Mr Polanski, who has seen Green Party membership surge under his leadership, faced a backlash for lashing out at police responding to the Golders Green attack last week.

He retweeted a post on X criticising officers for kicking the alleged attacker during the arrest, which he later apologised for sharing "in haste".

His intervention sparked widespread condemnation, including from the head of the Met Police.

Speaking today, Mr Polanski told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Two things can be true at the same time: officers are incredibly brave when they run towards scenes of crimes that most people, including myself, will want to run away from.

"At the same time, I think it is accurate, and that I was also traumatised by seeing someone handcuffed and repeatedly kicked in the head."

He has also been embroiled in a row after it emerged last night that he falsely claimed to be a spokesperson for the British Red Cross.

He acknowledged today that he was wrong to describe himself as a spokesman for the charity.