Zack Polanski Has ‘Held Informal Talks’ With As Many As 10 Labour MPs
One was asked if they would defect and ‘collared’ by a minister.
by Joshua Carroll
10 March 2026
Several Labour MPs have been in regular contact with Zack Polanski, reportedly leading to questions from government whips about whether they would defect to the Green party.
One Labour MP questioned about a possible defection was also “collared” by a cabinet minister who accused them of being in contact with Polanski, according to a report in the Times.
The MP said they were not planning to defect but that Labour’s humiliating defeat in the Gorton and Denton byelection showed Keir Starmer’s party had lost its “core vote”.
“There’s certainly some people who think that actually the Green party do represent their views better than the current leadership of the Labour party,” the MP said.
“What’s interesting about the byelection is we’ve vacated the centre-left ground and that’s been filled by Zack Polanski and the Greens. My feeling is that what we need to do is go back to that ground – that’s where our core vote is, and we need to win back our core vote.”
The MPs regularly speak with Polanski about news and policy, as well as amendments to legislation passing through parliament, the Times said.
A senior Labour source said the government was not concerned about potential defections to the Greens.
Polanski has said before that he has spoken to Labour MPs who would prefer to be in his party but don’t feel it’s a good idea to defect.
“When I talk to them, they say to me they know they’d be happier in the Green party, but for them it’s not an emotional decision right now, it’s a strategic decision. And the strategic decision is that they have more power to influence things from within the Labour party.”
A Green party source said: “We are fully focused on winning as many seats as we can in the May elections. If more Labour MPs can now see the Greens as the party which most represent their values, and are best placed to beat Reform, then of course we can have discussions with them. But we have made it clear that we do not consider Starmer’s Labour a progressive party.”
Joshua Carroll is a writer and journalist.