Politics

Polanski was active in the Liberal Democrats. He stood in the Barnet and Camden constituency and was fifth on the London-wide list for the party in the 2016 London Assembly election.^[5] He then left the Liberal Democrats and joined the Green Party in 2017, after failing to be shortlisted as a parliamentary candidate for Richmond Park.^[10] He stood as the Green candidate in the Cities of London and Westminster parliamentary constituency at the 2019 general election and finished in fourth place of six candidates, with 1.7%.^[11] Prior to his election to the London Assembly, he became treasurer of the Jewish Greens.^[12]

On 6 May 2021, Polanski was elected a Member of the London Assembly, having been third on the Green Party's London-wide list. He also stood in the West Central constituency, where he came third,^[13] and for a Westminster Council by-election, where he came fourth^[14] on the same day. In the new Assembly, Polanski was elected to be the chair of the Environment committee and to be on the committees for Fire, Resilience and Emergency Planning and the Economy Committee.^[15]

In December 2021, Polanski proposed a successful motion in the London Assembly backing the Climate and Ecological Emergency bill. It was a cross party motion with Labour and Liberal Democrat support.^[16][17]

On 6 June 2022, Polanski announced his candidacy in the 2022 Green Party of England and Wales deputy leadership election.^[18] On 7 September 2022, he was elected Deputy Leader, succeeding Amelia Womack.^[19]

In May 2023, Polanski was elected Deputy Chair of the Environment Committee.^[20]

Other ventures

Prior to being a politician, Polanski worked with the theatre company DifferencEngine as an immersive theatre actor, including appearances in The Hollow Hotel, The People's Revolt (in the Tower of London) and in the Peaky Blinders Immersive Theatre experience.^[21]

Polanski has also worked as a hypnotherapist. In 2013, he took a newspaper reporter for The Sun through a hypnotherapy session to increase her breast size at his Harley Street hypnotherapy clinic. He subsequently apologised for having done this, describing his own actions as misogynistic.^[22][23]

Polanski taught at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts and the National Centre for Circus Arts. Polanski also sang for the London International Gospel Choir.^[24][25][26]