In a recent episode of the ever-cutting News Agents podcast, newly elected Green Party leader Zack Polanski revealed that he has been in discussions with an unspecified number of Labour MPs about the possibility of defections to the Greens. Following the failure of Zarah Sultana and Jeremy Corbyn’s as-yet-unnamed political party to get off the ground, Polanski has done a remarkable job of shoring up support from voters to Labour’s left.

In his interview with Lewis Goodall, the Green leader admitted that he had initially thought a high-profile defection would be the key to drawing media attention to the party. However, with Green Party membership having doubled since he took on the leadership, he no longer feels such a defection is quite so crucial to revive the press coverage they were seeking.

The interview sheds light on the role party leaders play in tempting MPs to cross the aisle, and the importance of defections in shaping political news cycles — particularly for smaller parties. You can find out more about the conversation on The News Agents website.

It’ll be interesting to see whether the Green Party’s five MPs increase in number over the next few weeks. If I were a gambling man, I’d guess we may see one or two follow after the Budget in November. Only time will tell…