Ten Labour MPs are prepared to defect to Zack Polanski's Green Party despite its disappointing performance in the local elections, according to senior Green sources. The plot would plunge Keir Starmer's leadership into further chaos as he fights to save his job after Labour's poor showing.
Informal Discussions Underway
Backbench MPs on Labour's Left have been holding 'informal discussions for months' about 'working together' with the Greens, the sources say. 'Nine or ten Labour MPs are very chatty and in play,' they added. The MPs have become increasingly 'jumpy' as support haemorrhages to the Left of the party, and insiders predict one could 'go over the top any minute now'.
Connections to Corbyn Era
The plotters, most of whom were elected before 2024, were close to Jeremy Corbyn when he was Labour's leader. Several senior figures from that era have recently defected to the Greens. Backbenchers, already considering jumping ship, have been spooked by Green gains in Labour strongholds such as Hackney, Lewisham and Islington in London.
One Labour backbencher said some MPs were already 'resigned to the fate' of losing their seats unless they defected.
Polanski's Stance
Asked by the BBC how he would avoid becoming a 'new version' of Mr Corbyn, Mr Polanski refused to criticise him, saying: 'There was lots that [Mr] Corbyn was putting forward to this country that I think was really positive. We've talked about wealth taxes, about public ownership.'
A Green source said: 'Our door is open to anyone who shares our values but, ideally, not people who have been propping up Starmer's government.'
Controversies and Criticisms
As well as drawing policy inspiration from Mr Corbyn, the Green Party has been dogged by claims of anti-Semitism which plagued Labour under his leadership. Labour MP Luke Akehurst said: 'The same political forces that dragged Labour into a moral cesspit of anti-Semitism in the Corbyn era have hijacked the Green Party.'
Some Green candidates won despite courting controversy during the campaign. Mohammed Suleman, elected in Newcastle, was fined £8,507 for illegally burning building waste in 2024, while Zoe Garbett, Hackney's new mayor, defended a graffiti attack on a statue of Winston Churchill.
A spokesman for the Green Party said: 'We talk regularly to MPs from other parties and will continue to do so.'
