Greens membership surge after public split between Corbyn and Sultana

"In a statement to the Guardian, Polanski said his focus was to keep growing the Green party and to be a voice for bold leadership. He added: My door is always open for conversations with Jeremy and Zarah, two people committed to making our country fairer who I really respect. But today I'm focused on what I can do towards that end, and that's to keep growing the movement within the Green party."

"After Sultana launched a membership portal for the new party on Thursday, Corbyn responded angrily, describing it as a false membership system that collected money and data without authorisation. He said the party had referred the matter to the Information Commissioner's Office and urged supporters to cancel any payments made."

Almost 1,400 people joined the Greens in a 24-hour period following a public dispute between Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana over a proposed new leftwing party. Corbyn and allies referred Sultana to the Information Commissioner's Office amid claims she began collecting membership subscriptions without authority. The surge pushed Greens membership in England and Wales above 75,000, more than 10% higher than earlier in the month when Zack Polanski won the leadership contest. Polanski said he may cooperate with any new party but noted no structure or policies exist, and he emphasized growing the Greens as a home for left-leaning voters disillusioned with Labour. Sultana said she had been frozen out by a sexist boys' club.

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