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.
About Be Broadcast, Mission Control and Cast From Clay
Be Broadcast is an award-winning communications consultancy that helps organisations connect meaningfully with audiences through television and radio. The agency has built campaigns for some of the UK’s leading brands and has been recognised at the Prolific North Awards and other national industry events. Be Broadcast specialises in translating complex ideas into stories that resonate across mainstream media.
Mission Control is Be Broadcast’s broadcast intelligence project. It helps organisations make sense of what people are thinking and feeling through the lens of broadcast media. Because broadcast often reflects where society is going and how it feels about key issues, Mission Control uses data science and human analysis to interpret those signals. It tracks millions of hours of programming to identify who is being heard, what messages are cutting through and how public sentiment is shifting.
Cast from Clay is a strategic influence consultancy. We support our clients to achieve policy change by restructuring their advocacy functions, designing narrative interventions, and running public affairs and policy communications campaigns. Subscribe to our newsletter, Policy Unstuck, to get the inside story from ministers, political advisers, and public affairs leaders on how policy change really happens: http://policyunstuck.castfromclay.co.uk
