Our model rated these statements. Lower is better.
Fact or Fluff
Supported34Partly supported29Can't verify11
74 claims checked against independent sources, chosen by a fixed rule (every material claim (one that supports an argument, a policy or an attack) in the transcripts that count towards a score; in other transcripts, up to 10 claims spread evenly across each; plus any claim an emotional passage relies on). 0 more were found but not checked yet; they do not count.
Quotes leave out filler sounds and repeated words. Words in [square brackets] correct a transcript that misheard or misspelt them. The transcript keeps every word as published.
Supported70% confidence
“a prime minister [Andy Burnham] who says he's going to end neoliberalism but rules out rent controls has his chief of staff as a literal corporate lobbyist.”
Claim checkedZack Polanski said that Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who says he will end neoliberalism, has ruled out rent controls and has a corporate lobbyist as his chief of staff.
Andy Burnham became prime minister, appointed James Purnell, CEO of lobbying firm Flint Global, as chief of staff, and his government (Angela Rayner) ruled out rent controls in July 2026 after he had floated a cap. I did not confirm his exact 'end neoliberalism' wording.
“We've seen today Tom Watson former deputy leader of the Labour party go and join [Palantir]”
Claim checkedZack Polanski said that Tom Watson, former deputy leader of the Labour party, had joined Palantir that day.
Tom Watson, Labour's former deputy leader, joined Palantir as UK senior vice president, but this was announced on 18 September 2026, about two and a half weeks before the event, not 'today'. He had been an adviser to the firm since 2024.
“the brilliant economist Mariana [Mazzucato] often says that it's not a government's job to fix market failures.”
Claim checkedZack Polanski said that economist Mariana Mazzucato often says it is not a government's job to fix market failures.
Mariana Mazzucato's published work argues the state should shape and create markets and not merely fix market failures. The statement paraphrases that argument.
“in terms of policies, there literally isn't any difference at all.”
Claim checkedZack Polanski said that there is no difference at all in policies between the parties or groups he was comparing.
The sentence does not make clear which two parties or groups are being compared, so there is no defined claim to check. Labour and the Greens differ on some stated policies, such as rent controls, but the referent here is unclear.
“policy in the Green Party is made by the members.”
Claim checkedZack Polanski said that policy in the Green Party is made by its members.
The Green Party's constitution and policy-making process state that policy is decided democratically by members, through votes at conference, and that every policy in its Policies for a Sustainable Society was approved by members.
“there are still on average a child is dying in Gaza every single day.”
Claim checkedZack Polanski said that on average a child is still dying in Gaza every day.
UNICEF said in early August 2026 that at least 300 children had been reportedly killed in Gaza in the 300 days since the October 2025 ceasefire, an average of one a day.
Claim checkedZack Polanski said that the UK is still selling arms to Israel.
The UK has suspended or refused more than 80 export licences for items the IDF could use in Gaza, and direct F-35 exports to Israel are suspended. However, UK components still flow into the global F-35 pool, and other licences remain, so some UK arms-related supply continues.
“we finally pushed for [Labour] government to take some basic steps like stop trading with illegal settlements, goods, and some services.”
Claim checkedZack Polanski said that the Green Party and campaigners pushed the Labour government to take basic steps such as stopping trade in goods and some services with illegal settlements.
In September 2026 the UK government announced a ban on imports of goods from illegal Israeli settlements and on some services such as financing, construction and real estate for them. Whether this was caused by the Green Party and campaigners is a judgement that cannot be verified, and some reports say the government is still working out the full scope of the service restrictions.
“nearly 3,000 people according to the UK health security agency have died this summer from the heat wave.”
Claim checkedAccording to the UK Health Security Agency, nearly 3,000 people died from heat during summer 2026's heatwaves.
UKHSA estimated 2,877 heat-associated deaths in the May (753) and June (2,124) 2026 heatwaves, and said the summer total was likely to be substantially higher once July was included. 'Nearly 3,000' fits the interim figure; the final figures are due in early 2027.
“The BBC reported yesterday, we need seven months, seven wet months to even have enough water supply to not have water scarcity.”
Claim checkedThe BBC reported that England needs about seven months of above-average rainfall to recover from drought and end water scarcity.
Government and Environment Agency drought data say England would need about 120% of typical rainfall sustained over the next seven months to bring all areas out of drought, with about three-quarters of England still in drought in September 2026. I could not find the specific BBC article, and 'seven wet months' paraphrases the 120%-of-normal condition.
“when we finally pushed Andy Burnham to having a Cobra meeting, he said he was going to ban disposable barbecues.”
Claim checkedWhen Andy Burnham chaired a Cobra meeting on the heatwave and drought, he said he would ban disposable barbecues.
After Burnham chaired a Cobra meeting in August 2026 on heat, drought and wildfires, he urged retailers to withdraw disposable barbecues from sale and said an outright ban could be considered; reports describe a possible ban rather than a firm commitment. Whether he was 'pushed' to hold the meeting is a characterisation I could not verify.
Claim checkedHolborn and St Pancras has been a safe Labour seat since it was created in 1983.
Holborn and St Pancras has been held by Labour at every election since the seat was created in 1983 (Frank Dobson, then Keir Starmer), and is regarded as a safe Labour seat.
“another Labor MP to add to a 400 majority that will just vote with a Labor government”
Claim checkedA new Labour MP for Holborn and St Pancras would be added to a Labour parliamentary party of about 400 MPs that has a large majority.
Labour has about 400 MPs (402 at the time of Burnham's leadership nomination in July 2026), so a Labour MP would join a very large group. 'A 400 majority' is loose: 400 is roughly Labour's number of MPs, not its majority over other parties. What a Labour MP would vote for in future is a prediction.
“the party made a decision a conference two years ago that we were going to stand in every single seat.”
Claim checkedThe Green Party decided at a conference about two years ago to stand candidates in every seat.
Green Party conference voted in autumn 2023 (not two years ago) for a motion letting the party executive require local parties to select candidates, to stand a full slate across England and Wales at the next general election. The party then stood in the large majority of English and Welsh seats in 2024; the decision is real but the timing is off.
Claim checkedThe Green Party is now nearly as large as the Labour Party by membership.
Labour had 264,754 members in December 2025 against the Greens' roughly 230,000 in May 2026, so the Greens are about 87% of Labour's size on membership. Labour's current figure may differ after Burnham became leader.
“we have more Young Greens than the entire Liberal Democrat membership across England and Wales.”
Claim checkedThe Young Greens have more members than the entire Liberal Democrat membership across England and Wales.
The Young Greens' own figure passed 50,000 in April 2026, but the only Liberal Democrat membership figure found (about 60,000, December 2024) is dated and not a like-for-like comparison, so the comparison cannot be settled.
“We have 40,000 young greens just in London alone.”
Claim checkedThe Green Party has 40,000 Young Greens in London alone.
The Young Greens' national membership was reported at just over 50,000 in April 2026; no London figure was found, so 40,000 in London alone can be neither confirmed nor ruled out.
“They say [Jackdaw] would create jobs, but it would only create 27 jobs.”
Claim checkedThe Jackdaw gas field would create only 27 jobs, according to Polanski.
Adura's environmental impact assessment says Jackdaw needs 27 new full-time-equivalent roles for Jackdaw-specific activities, as the project is a not-permanently-attended platform tied back to the existing Shearwater hub. That figure is for ongoing operations; industry bodies cite far larger construction and supply-chain job numbers for Jackdaw and Rosebank together, so 'only 27 jobs' omits those.
“Rosebank would be the cumulative emissions of 28 of the poorest income countries all put together.”
Claim checkedThe emissions from burning Rosebank's oil would equal the cumulative emissions of the 28 poorest-income countries put together.
Analysis reported by The Conversation and campaigners says burning Rosebank's oil would release up to about 200 million tonnes of CO2, more than the combined annual emissions of 28 low-income countries. The comparison is to those countries' annual emissions, not their cumulative emissions, so 'cumulative' is imprecise.
“That decision was meant to be made this month. Magically, they've now delayed it till next month, just after the bi-election.”
Claim checkedThe government's decision on the Jackdaw and Rosebank fields was due this month and has been delayed until the month after the Holborn and St Pancras by-election.
Reports say a decision on the Jackdaw gas field was expected in September 2026 and has been pushed to late autumn, after the 8 October Holborn and St Pancras by-election; Rosebank is also awaiting a decision. Sources give 'late autumn', not a precise 'this month' to 'next month' shift, and the delay's motive is the speaker's characterisation.
“we have extracted more oil and gas across the planet than we can burn and still have a habitable planet.”
Claim checkedHumanity has extracted or identified more oil and gas worldwide than can be burned while keeping the planet habitable.
The Global Registry of Fossil Fuels (Carbon Tracker) found that known oil, gas and coal reserves would use up the 1.5C carbon budget about seven times over. That concerns reserves identified in the ground, not fuel literally already extracted, but the underlying point that existing reserves exceed what can be burned is well supported.
“much of the media is owned by a small group of multimillionaires and billionaires many of whom don't even live in this country”
Claim checkedMuch of the UK media is owned by a small group of multimillionaires and billionaires, many of whom do not live in the UK.
Media Reform Coalition research finds three companies (DMG Media, News UK, Reach) hold about 90% of national newspaper circulation, owned by a few wealthy proprietors, several of them based or domiciled abroad, such as Rupert Murdoch and Evgeny Lebedev's stakes. 'Many of whom don't even live in this country' is a loose but reasonable summary.
“the Labour government literally buried a report that had been written by the joint chiefs overhead of MI5, MI6 and GCHQ that talked about the fact that our whole food system is at risk of collapse and the government hid it because it was considered too scary for people. So they just buried it last October.”
Claim checkedThe Labour government withheld from October 2025 a Joint Intelligence Committee report, involving MI5, MI6 and GCHQ, warning that the UK food system is at risk of collapse.
The Joint Intelligence Committee assessment 'Global Biodiversity Loss, Ecosystem Collapse and National Security' warned the UK could struggle to maintain food security. It was due in October 2025, was reportedly held back by Downing Street as too negative, and only appeared on 21 January 2026 after a Green Alliance FOI request, in redacted form. It was a JIC assessment (not a report by the 'heads' of the agencies) and its food-system warning is conditional on ecosystem collapse.
“I think [Stella Creasy] put in an amendment to say political donation should be capped at £500,000. Far too much, but that was the cap. Even that was too much for the Labor government.”
Claim checkedStella Creasy put forward an amendment capping political donations at £500,000, and the Labour government did not accept it.
Labour MP Stella Creasy tabled an amendment to the Representation of the People Bill capping donations at £500,000 (falling to £100,000 the next year). The government declined to back a cap in that bill, saying it was not ruling one out later, and Creasy later withdrew the amendment after assurances of a taskforce.
“the reform have taken a 76 million pound donation.”
Claim checkedReform UK took a £76 million donation within days of the donations-cap amendment being rejected.
Reform UK received two record £36 million donations, from Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne, within about 48 hours in mid-September 2026, a combined £72 million, not £76 million.
“We've already extracted the vast majority of the reserves.”
Claim checkedThe UK has already extracted the vast majority of its North Sea oil and gas reserves.
Taking this as the UK North Sea, the regulator's figures show over 45 billion barrels of oil equivalent already produced from the UK Continental Shelf against roughly 2.9 billion boe of proven and probable reserves left at end-2024, so about 94% of the total has been extracted. The quote gives no context, so this reading is an assumption.
“the Green Party policies almost always come out on top.”
Claim checkedGreen Party policies almost always come out on top in policy polling and focus groups.
Polling shows some Green policies are very popular, for example YouGov found 75% support for a wealth tax on assets above £10m. No evidence was found that Green policies 'almost always' come out on top across policy polling and focus groups, or that this applies to the 'vast majority' of them.
“we did win elections in greater numbers than ever before.”
Claim checkedIn the 2026 elections the Green Party won more seats than it had ever won before.
In the May 2026 local elections the Greens made large gains, with 456 net new councillors in England and Wales, control of five councils (including Hackney and Waltham Forest) and their first two directly elected London mayors. Coverage described this as the party's best local election result.
“More than 90 primary schools have shut down since 2019 because there aren't enough children to fill them.”
Claim checkedIn London, more than 90 primary schools have closed since 2019 because there are not enough children to fill them.
A London Councils report (2026) found that about 90 London schools had closed or merged over the previous five years, mainly because of falling pupil numbers driven by lower birth rates and families leaving because of housing costs. That figure covers mergers as well as closures and is not limited to primary schools, so 'more than 90 primary schools have shut down' overstates it.
“Like Bristol Greens. They are breaking records on affordable homes.”
Claim checkedGreen-led Bristol City Council delivered a record number of affordable homes in 2025/26.
More than 680 affordable homes were completed in Bristol between April 2025 and April 2026 (197 of them built by the council), the highest number in about 20 years, under the Green-led council. Some of these schemes were started under the previous Labour administration.
“Stroud are one of the biggest council home builders in the whole of England.”
Claim checkedGreen-led Stroud District Council is one of the biggest builders of council homes in England (2025/26).
Reports in May 2026 said that Green-led Stroud District Council's council-home starts in 2025/26 put it in the top 10 English councils, with only Leeds, Basildon and Harlow starting more in 2024/25, the latest year with comparable data. The comparison mixes two different years.
“for too long landlords have been able to hike prices way above wages”
Claim checkedFor years private landlords in the UK have been able to raise rents far faster than wages have grown.
Resolution Foundation analysis found that private rents rose 24.2% between May 2022 and mid-2025, while nominal wages rose 18.6%. So rents did outpace wages over that period. But ONS data show that rent growth has since slowed to 3.8% in the year to August 2026, so 'way above wages' overstates the recent gap.
“Over the next year, more than a third of the money that the DWP will spend on housing benefits will go straight into the pockets of private landlords”
Claim checkedIn 2026-27, more than a third of DWP spending on housing benefits (Housing Benefit and the Universal Credit housing element) will go to private landlords.
DWP projections put total housing support (Housing Benefit plus the Universal Credit housing element) at a record £38.8bn in 2026-27. Reports of those projections said about 35% of it goes to private rented sector landlords, which is more than a third.
Claim checkedThe share of DWP housing benefit spending that goes to private landlords over the next year (2026-27) is £13.4 billion.
35% of the DWP's forecast £38.8bn housing support bill for 2026-27 is about £13.6bn, which is consistent with £13.4bn. Earlier figures were of the same order: £12.3bn went to private renters' housing support in 2023-24. The exact £13.4bn figure comes from the Green Party, and no published DWP table showing it was found.
“Jonathan Reynolds on Question Time say no economist support rent controls”
Claim checkedBusiness Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said on BBC Question Time (September 2026) that no economist supports rent controls.
The only article found that reports the remark (Left Foot Forward) is reporting Polanski's own speech. No independent transcript or report of Jonathan Reynolds' words on Question Time could be retrieved. If he did say it, at least some economists do back rent controls, for example a July 2026 UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose report by economists Beth Stratford and Joe Beswick.
“They're having to deal with their lifeboats being targeted with trackers.”
Claim checkedIn September 2026 RNLI lifeboats on rescue missions were tracked through their location transponders by people hostile to their work, which led the RNLI to switch off the trackers.
In September 2026 the RNLI switched off the AIS location transponders on two lifeboats. This came after reports that anti-immigration protesters had used AIS to track the boats during a Channel rescue and had attacked one of them. Separately, the Portsmouth station was taken off service on 7 September 2026 after protests and threats against crews.
“Just a few days ago the Foreign Secretary stood on a stage like this and said something many of us will feel vindicated by. That those who have been raising their voices against the atrocities in Gaza were right.”
Claim checkedA few days before 2 October 2026, Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said in his Labour conference speech that people who had spoken out about the suffering in Gaza were right.
On 28 September 2026, four days before this speech, Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband spoke at the Labour conference in Liverpool. He told those 'moved by the plight of the Palestinian people': 'We hear you. You were right.' He also called the suffering in Gaza and the West Bank 'a stain on the conscience of the world'.
“as he spoke meters away principled people were being hauled away by the police.”
Claim checkedWhile Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband gave his Labour conference speech, police were arresting protesters holding signs just outside the venue.
Merseyside Police arrested 82 people outside the Labour conference venue in Liverpool under the Terrorism Act for holding signs supporting Palestine Action, and pensioners were among them. Reports place those arrests on Sunday 27 September 2026, the day before Miliband's speech on Monday 28 September, not while he was speaking.
“Hundreds of [Labour] MPs willing to label people terrorists, to troop through the voting lobbies to approve it.”
Claim checkedHundreds of Labour MPs voted in July 2025 to approve the order proscribing Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation.
On 2 July 2025 the Commons approved the order proscribing Palestine Action (and other groups) by 385 votes to 26; 276 Labour MPs voted for it. The vote proscribed organisations, not individuals, but supporting a proscribed group became a terrorism offence.
Claim checkedGreen MPs did not vote for the July 2025 order proscribing Palestine Action.
Division records for the 2 July 2025 vote on the proscription order show that all four Green MPs at the time (Carla Denyer, Ellie Chowns, Siân Berry and Adrian Ramsay) voted against it and none voted for it.
“it was only after we demanded that the Prime Minister call a Cobra meeting that he finally did it.”
Claim checkedThe Prime Minister called a Cobra meeting on the August 2026 heatwave only after the Green Party demanded one, and its outcome was a ban on disposable barbecues.
Polanski called for a Cobra meeting on the heatwave in early August 2026, and the government at first refused (around 10 August). PM Andy Burnham then chaired Cobra on 12 August, so the order of events matches, but the record does not show the Green call caused the meeting. ITV also reports an earlier heatwave Cobra in June. The outcome was not an outright ban: the government urged retailers to stop selling disposable barbecues, extended the restrictions on their sale and said it would consider a temporary summer ban.
“But what was the outcome? To ban disposable barbecues.”
Claim checkedThe outcome of the August 2026 COBR meeting on wildfires was a ban on disposable barbecues.
After the COBR meeting chaired by the Prime Minister, the government announced on 14 August 2026 an immediate, temporary nationwide ban on selling disposable barbecues. The same package also included an Emergency Alert, emergency funding for fire services and military support in South Wales. The ban was therefore one outcome among several, not the only one.
“reports that the same government is set to give the go-ahead to dangerous new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea.”
Claim checkedSome weeks after the August 2026 Cobra meeting, there were reports that the government was set to approve new oil and gas development in the North Sea.
In September 2026 the BBC and the Guardian, citing government and industry sources, reported that the government was expected to approve the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea in mid-September. The Guardian also reported that the Rosebank oil field could be approved in the coming months. These reports came weeks after the 12 August Cobra meeting. Calling the drilling 'dangerous' is an opinion and was not checked.
“We know that drilling for new fossil fuels, it won't bring down bills.”
Claim checkedDrilling for new oil and gas in the North Sea will not bring down UK energy bills.
Ministers have themselves said that gas prices are set internationally, so new North Sea licences 'would not take a penny off bills'. A minister said this in the Commons on 15 June 2026, and Ed Miliband used the same words in May 2026. How much new fields would add to energy security is still debated.
“we heard that the government had delayed giving the green light to new oil and gas drilling at Rosebank and Jackdaw.”
Claim checkedIn September 2026 it was reported that the government had delayed approving new oil and gas drilling at the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields.
Decisions on Rosebank and Jackdaw were still pending after the consultations closed in August 2026; the minister told MPs on 3 September they would come 'in due course'. On 15 September Conservative MPs said in the Commons that there were further delays linked to a by-election. The government has not given that reason, so the motive Polanski gives is an inference.
“Ed Miliband took the first long overdue step by banning trade with illegal settlements.”
Claim checkedIn September 2026 Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband banned trade with illegal Israeli settlements.
On 8 September 2026 Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced plans to ban imports of goods from illegal Israeli settlements, along with new sanctions powers and a ban on advertising settlement property. These were announced as new powers still to be brought in, and they cover settlement goods and related services rather than all trade.
“The UN Secretary-General said, "This is the crucial decade for climate action."”
Claim checkedThe UN Secretary-General has said that this is the crucial decade for climate action.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has repeatedly called the 2020s the critical or decisive decade for climate action, including in his COP26 address of November 2021, 'Action and Solidarity – The Critical Decade'. The quoted words are a close paraphrase rather than his exact wording.
“Under Labour, rents are set to rise, energy bills are spiking”
Claim checkedUnder the Labour government in autumn 2026, private rents are rising and energy bills are rising sharply.
ONS data show average UK private rents rose 3.8% in the year to August 2026, and the Ofgem price cap rose by 4% on 1 October 2026 because of wholesale price volatility. Rents and energy bills are both rising, but 'spiking' overstates a 4% rise in the cap.
Claim checkedOver the year to October 2026, Green Party of England and Wales membership rose to the highest level in its history.
Green Party of England and Wales membership grew from about 68,500 when Polanski became leader in September 2025 to 230,000 by June 2026, as reported by HuffPost UK and the Guardian. This is well above any earlier total for the party.
“This was not my post. It was a collaboration from a photographer. It had 20 images”
Claim checkedZack Polanski's Instagram post showing the 'Making plans for Nigel' guillotine T-shirt was a collaboration post from a photographer containing 20 images, which he accepted without looking carefully.
ITV reported Polanski saying this on Newsnight, and other reports confirm he accepted an Instagram collaborator request on a photographer's post of about 20 images from a Green Party event in Bristol; the guillotine T-shirt was one image. He appeared on the post through the collaboration feature rather than uploading it himself.
“As soon as I was aware of what happened, I unaccepted it and took it down.”
Claim checkedZack Polanski unaccepted the collaboration and took the post down once he became aware of the guillotine T-shirt image.
Reports confirm the post was removed from his account after the row and that he said he unaccepted the collaboration and took it down. The exact timing ('as soon as I was aware') rests on his own account.
Claim checkedZack Polanski accepted nine collaboration requests on Instagram from the Green Party event in question.
The figure of nine collaboration requests accepted from that event appears only in Polanski's own Newsnight account as reported by one outlet; no independent record was found.
“in May I experienced lots of threats, including today, by the way I experienced a death threat but in May a Nazi who was near a reform banner threw a salute at me and was arrested. No one ever spoke about it. No one ever reported it.”
Claim checkedIn April/May 2026 a man performing Nazi salutes near a Reform banner at a Green Party rally addressed by Zack Polanski was arrested, and it received no public attention; Polanski also said he had received a death threat that day.
A Green Party rally in Hastings addressed by Polanski on 30 April 2026 was disrupted by men with Reform UK and St George's flags, and a 62-year-old man was arrested over Nazi salutes there, so the arrest is real (it was at the end of April, not May). The claim that no one spoke about it or reported it is wrong, as it was covered by several outlets. The death threat he mentions that day cannot be checked.
“[Zia Yusuf] said if I wasn't arrested by this time tomorrow then it's open season on all MPs.”
Claim checkedReform UK's Zia Yusuf said that if Zack Polanski was not arrested by this time the next day, it would be open season on all MPs.
Zia Yusuf posted on X on 27 July 2026 that if Polanski was not in police custody by this time tomorrow, the police would have declared open season on MPs. Polanski's paraphrase turns the condition around slightly (it was the police, not Yusuf, who would be declaring it) but the substance matches.
Claim checkedThe original Instagram collaboration post got fewer than a thousand likes before Nigel Farage shared it.
No public data on the like count of the original photographer's post was found; Polanski's figure is his own, and the post has been removed from his profile.
“Nigel Farage then took it cropped it so it made it look like I posted it”
Claim checkedNigel Farage shared a cropped version of the image that made it look as though Zack Polanski had posted it himself.
Reports say Farage posted a cropped screenshot of the image on X, which made it look as if Polanski had posted it himself. However, the post did appear on Polanski's profile through the collaboration he accepted, so the description is partly fair. Whether the crop was deliberate is a characterisation.
Claim checkedThe cropped post shared by Nigel Farage had received 3.2 million views.
The 3.2 million views figure comes from Polanski's interview; the view counter on the X post could not be checked and no independent report confirmed the number.
“this whole conversation has been seen more because Nigel Farage, [Zia Yusuf], and I think Richard Tice posted it.”
Claim checkedThe row over the image was seen more widely because Nigel Farage, Zia Yusuf and Richard Tice posted it.
Farage called for Polanski's arrest and Zia Yusuf publicly accused him of 'inciting murder', and Reform UK amplified the image; one search summary says Richard Tice also posted it, but this was not independently confirmed. That the row was seen more because of their posts is a plausible inference but not measured.
“Nigel Farage put out a video that talked about cold, pure rage, and then we saw a riot.”
Claim checkedNigel Farage put out a video calling for 'cold, pure rage' and riots then took place in Southampton.
Farage released a video on 7 June 2026 calling for 'pure cold rage' after the Henry Nowak body-camera footage, and disorder followed in Southampton in which police officers were injured. Starmer accused Farage of inciting it; the causal link is contested but the sequence is accurate.
“The first mistake with the Golders Green attack was that I shared in haste and I should have gone to the Met Commissioner. That's why I apologized.”
Claim checkedZack Polanski shared a post about the Golders Green attack in haste, apologised, and said he should instead have raised it with the Met Commissioner.
Polanski reposted a post on X accusing police of kicking the Golders Green stabbing suspect in the head, was criticised by Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, and apologised for 'sharing a tweet in haste'. That he should have gone to the Commissioner instead is his opinion.
Claim checkedPrime Minister Andy Burnham has ruled out rent controls.
In July 2026 Housing Secretary Angela Rayner told BBC Breakfast that Andy Burnham's government would not pursue rent controls, reversing his earlier support for rent caps as Greater Manchester mayor. Reports say Burnham was set to ditch the policy.
“If we brought in rent controls, we could save the average UK household up to £2,400 a year and save government £2 billion a year.”
Claim checkedZack Polanski said rent controls could save the average UK household up to £2,400 a year and save the government £2 billion a year.
A UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose report estimated rent controls could save the average private tenant in England about £2,400 a year, and that had rents been frozen in November 2022 the government could be spending £2 billion a year less on housing benefit. The figures are about private tenants in England, not the average UK household, and they come from a modelled scenario (a freeze) rather than any specific rent control policy.
“It makes no sense that if someone is ill with cancer, they get free health care, as they should, but if they have dementia, they don't.”
Claim checkedZack Polanski said that people with cancer get free health care but people with dementia do not.
NHS care for cancer is free at the point of use, while people with dementia usually rely on means-tested social care and pay for it unless their needs are assessed as a primary health need (NHS Continuing Healthcare). The King's Fund and the Alzheimer's Society describe this as the long-standing cancer/dementia inequity in the system.
“In the last 3 years, in three regions of the UK, because of the outsourcing of social care, private providers have made up to 240 million pounds.”
Claim checkedZack Polanski said that in the last three years, in three UK regions, private social care providers made up to £240 million because of outsourcing.
A Reclaiming our Regional Economies (CLES) study found private care providers in the North East, South Yorkshire and the West Midlands made about £256m in profit between 2021 and 2024, and reported 'extraction' above £250m. That is close to but slightly above the 'up to £240 million' quoted, and the period covers roughly three years of company accounts.
“I actually collaborated with eight people that evening.”
Claim checkedZack Polanski said he collaborated with eight people on Instagram on the evening of the Bristol event.
Reports describe a 20-image Instagram collaboration post from a photographer after a Bristol fundraiser, but none says how many people Polanski collaborated with that evening. This is a personal account that cannot be checked.
“yesterday, The Times newspaper published a vile anti-Semitic cartoon, which we've asked them to apologize for”
Claim checkedOn 2 May 2026 The Times published an antisemitic cartoon, and the Green Party asked the paper to apologise.
The Times published a Peter Brookes cartoon of Polanski on 2 May 2026 and the Green Party asked for an apology. Whether it is antisemitic is his description, shared by some critics.
“We saw three people stabbed this week on Wednesday, one Muslim man and two Jewish men.”
Claim checkedOn Wednesday 29 April 2026, three people were stabbed in London: one Muslim man and two Jewish men.
On Wednesday 29 April 2026 two Jewish men were stabbed in Golders Green; the attacker had earlier attacked a Muslim friend with a knife in Southwark, who fended him off with minor injuries.
“The commissioner as well in this very studio accepted that this was an unusual use of police force”
Claim checkedThe Metropolitan Police Commissioner, interviewed in the same Sky News studio, accepted that the police's use of force at the Golders Green attack was unusual.
Reports quote the Commissioner calling the post inaccurate and praising the officers; no report was found of him calling the use of force unusual, and the interviewer disputed it.
Procedural claims (the speaker's own dates, petition counts, who said what, background), clear slips of the tongue, and words read out from someone else. They stay on the record and do not count in Accuracy.
Pending“My very first debate, literally first political event ever, was with Karma and Natalie Bennett [laughter] on either side of me, who was leader of the Green Party at the time. Interestingly as well, Natalie would often not be there at the Hustings. There was about 30 Hustings that campaign”Procedural: His own account of his first debate and the number of hustings in 2015: personal history, not a claim that backs an argument. · PoliticsJOE live event with Russell Warfield: The Green Socialist book launch, 5 Oct 2026
Supported“Hannah Spencer, MP, putting forward a law to protect workers from extreme temperatures.”Procedural: Says a colleague is putting forward a bill; an event, not a claim. · Speech to Green Party conference, Brighton, 2 Oct 2026
Supported“our MP, Adrian Ramsay, led a vital debate in Parliament. He called on the government to release a buried report detailing the threat posed by our national security by the climate and nature crisis.”Procedural: Says a colleague led a debate; an event, not a claim. · Speech to Green Party conference, Brighton, 2 Oct 2026
