Green Party Shows Strongest Broadcast Momentum of Any UK Political Party Under New Leader Zack Polanski

 From Be Broadcast

New analysis of more than 220,000 UK broadcast mentions shows the Green Party is the only political force to have increased its airtime since early September - with visibility, tone, and membership all rising under new leader Zack Polanski.

The findings come from Mission Control, a broadcast monitoring project by Be Broadcast with political analysis by Cast From Clay, tracking coverage between 1 September and 20 October 2025.

This period continues the Who Gets Heard? study released in early September - but with one major change: the appointment of the Greens’ new leader.

While every other party’s coverage fell by between 55% and 85% during the period, the Greens rose by 44%, the only positive trend recorded. Over the same timeframe, party membership surged to over 126,000, overtaking the Conservatives and more than doubling the Liberal Democrats.

“Broadcast is often the first indicator of public movement - and that’s exactly what we’re seeing here,” said Josh Wheeler, founder of Be Broadcast. “The Greens’ rise on air mirrors their rise in membership, showing how people are shifting, not just parties.”

A New Phase for Green Coverage

Between 1 September and 20 October, the Green Party achieved 13,728 broadcast mentions, with Polanski personally referenced 8,648 times - more than Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey (4,543) and close to Opposition Leader Kemi Badenoch (10,074).

Despite leading a party with only four MPs, Polanski’s media presence now rivals senior figures from the major parties.

Mission Control’s language analysis shows a distinct tonal shift in how broadcasters discuss the party.

Before September, the Greens were primarily framed around protest, climate, and activism; since Polanski’s appointment, that focus has moved to fairness, jobs, prosperity, and the future.

This change has coincided with a dramatic rise in constructive coverage. Forty-one percent of mentions involving the Greens are now solution-focused or positive in tone - the highest of any national party - compared with 22% for the Conservatives and 19% for Reform UK.

“Audiences respond to clear, consistent communication,” said Tom Hashemi, CEO of Cast From Clay. “Polanski has reframed the Greens’ message from activism to aspiration - jobs, fairness, and prosperity. That’s not the language of protest, it’s the language of ambition.”

Comparative Party Performance (1 Sept – 20 Oct 2025)

Party	Broadcast Mentions (Sept–Oct)	2024 Vote Share %	MPs (2024)	Mentions per MP
Reform UK	83,776	14.3	5	16,755
Labour	43,431	33.7	411	106
Conservatives	18,695	23.7	121	155
Green Party	13,728	6.4	4	3,432
Liberal Democrats	9,468	12.2	72	132

 
 

The Greens’ per-MP broadcast ratio now outperforms Labour by more than 30 to 1 and the Conservatives by 22 to 1 - a striking change since the last report.

Their growth also came during conference season, a period usually dominated by the largest parties - suggesting that the uplift is structural, not seasonal.

“Broadcast acts as a national pulse,” Wheeler added. “When stories about fairness, cost of living, and the future start to dominate airtime, it signals something wider happening in public sentiment.”

Change Since the Last Report

Mission Control compared the September–October data with the earlier dataset covering 1 January–3 September 2025 to measure changes in relative broadcast share.

Although the timeframes differ in length, the comparison highlights which parties are gaining or losing momentum.

Party	Mentions (Jan–3 Sept)	Mentions (Sept–Oct)	% Change	Key Insight
Green Party	31,053	13,728	+44.2%	Only UK party to increase broadcast visibility since last report.
Labour	924,693	43,431	–84.7%	Attention plateau after initial post-election dominance.
Conservatives	121,251	18,695	–84.6%	Decline despite leadership speculation.
Reform UK	353,660	83,776	–76.3%	Still strong, but tone softening.
Liberal Democrats	46,468	9,468	–79.6%	Consistently underexposed.
SNP	45,308	7,373	–83.7%	Consistent but contained.
Plaid Cymru	2,194	969	–55.8%	Local strength, national quiet.
DUP	5,925	2,451	–58.6%	Static presence.
Sinn Féin	6,081	2,001	–67.1%	Focused on diplomacy over domestic debate.

 
 

While most parties lost ground, the Greens increased their broadcast footprint by 44%.
Polanski’s leadership coincided with this growth, supported by a membership surge and the party’s increased focus on social and economic issues.

“The same political climate that has opened space for Reform has also opened space for the Greens,” Hashemi added. “People are looking for something different. The question is whether Polanski can convince them that ‘different’ means Green, not Farage.”

 

Tone and Visibility by Party Leader

Leader	Mentions (Sept–Oct)	% Constructive Tone	Dominant Frame
Keir Starmer	42,385	29%	“Administrative stability.”
Kemi Badenoch	10,074	22%	“Internal reset.”
Nigel Farage	41,173	19%	“Provocation fatigue.”
Ed Davey	4,543	31%	“Community voice, limited cut-through.”
Zack Polanski	8,648	41%	“Fairness and prosperity.”

 
 

While Polanski’s tone is the most positive, other leaders show a different picture.

The Conservatives’ constructive tone sits at 22%, suggesting their recent focus on cultural and identity issues has not translated into broader resonance.

“Broadcast rewards clarity and originality,” said Hashemi. “Imitation doesn’t cut through.”

 

The Big Picture

• +44% increase in Green Party broadcast mentions since September
• 13,728 total mentions (party), 8,648 mentions (leader)
• 126,000 members, up 80% since leadership election
• Highest constructive tone of any UK leader (41%)
• Per-MP broadcast visibility 30× that of Labour

 

Together, the findings suggest that momentum and message discipline - rather than parliamentary size - are shaping modern broadcast visibility.

 

In a landscape where every major party saw its share of airtime fall, the Greens’ combination of consistency, tone, and public resonance stands out as the clearest measure of political momentum this autumn.