Zack Polanski has said he was wrong to describe himself as a British Red Cross spokesperson, and that intensified media scrutiny of the Green party reflected fears of its rising popularity and support for wealth taxes.

Polanski described himself as a British Red Cross spokesperson while campaigning for the party leadership, the Times revealed . The claim was also mentioned on his personal website in 2020 when he said he was “really proud of the work we do”.

The British Red Cross said Polanski had not been a spokesperson for the charity , and that it had raised the issue with the Greens.

Polanski also hit back at what he characterised as politically motivated attacks on his party, accusing rightwing media owners with wealthy interests of fearing the party’s growing support.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I hosted various fundraisers for the British Red Cross, and indeed I would go on stage and speak for them about the amazing work they do tackling humanitarian crises, on the climate crisis, and…