When Keir Starmer dramatically resigned as the MP for Holborn and St Pancras this week, all eyes quickly swivelled to Zack Polanski.

He was elected as Green Party leader just a year ago but he has quickly made a name for himself.

Polanski quadrupled the party’s membership numbers within just six months in the post, led the Greens to victory in the Gorton and Denton by-election and oversaw their best-ever performance in the local elections in May.

A YouGov poll even put them at second place, on 21%, behind Nigel Farage’s Reform UK for a brief stint in March.

But what goes up must come down, as the Greens soon found out.

Polanski attracted intense scrutiny after it emerged he had failed to vote in the local elections and that he had not paid council tax while living on a narrowboat for three years – though he has since been cleared by an ethics inquiry over the latter.

The London Assembly member was then slammed for questioning the police response to the Golders Green attack online and for sharing an Instagram post of a t-shirt featuring a picture of a guillotine and the words: “We’re only making plans for Nigel.”

Some progressives began drifting back to Labour after Keir Starmer was replaced by Andy Burnham in July, too.

The Greens are now down in fourth place on 13% according to YouGov’s latest poll, while Polanski himself has the lowest favourability ratings of all party leaders on 19%.

So it’s worth asking: why is he putting himself forward for a by-election now?

Polanski is still the most high-profile person within the left-wing party and it would a historic victory if the Greens took the seat, making it their first ever London constituency win.

The Green leader has long said he would consider running for parliament if a London seat became available, too.

He wasted no time signalling his desire to be selected by local Green members to be the party candidate for Starmer’s former constituency in the capital this week.

While the decision is not yet set in stone, Polanski is widely expected to be the party’s choice for the crunch vote in a head-to-head with Labour.

As Sky News elections analyst Robert Ford wrote on X, the stakes are high for both parties.

He said: “Greens have chance to turn the tide on recent decline and show Polanski is a winner. Labour have a chance to show that the Burnham bounce is real, consolidate the left in a London heartland seat, and deal a potential knockout blow to Green insurgency.”

He added that Polanski’s decision to join the contest meant it is “no longer just Green vs Lab”.

Ford claimed voters are now being asked: “Would you like the national leader of the Green party or a generic Lab backbencher as your local representative?”

It’s rather precarious, though, especially as the seat is traditionally Labour.

The Greens themselves are trying to put their best foot forward, with one party official telling HuffPost UK they feel “confident” about Polanski’s chances.

Another senior insider shrugged off the idea that it was risky to put the Green leader forward, insisting he would be a “brilliant candidate”.

A third pointed out that the Greens won “lots of traditionally Labour seats” in London back in May during the local elections.

If he is chosen for the seat, he may have also have a slight advantage when it comes to winning over the left-wing votes.

Former independent candidate Andrew Feinstein announced he would not be standing in the by-election, and would instead back the Green leader.

Feinstein secured 19% of the vote in the constituency back in 2024, coming in second place behind Starmer.

If his 7,312 votes and the Greens’ 4,030 votes from the general election had been combined at the time, it would have significantly reduced Labour’s majority – though the party would still win by some margin on 18,884 votes.

Still, as Luke Tryl, the UK director for More in Common, told HuffPost UK if Feinstein’s voters “switch en masse to the Green Party, Polanski will need a much smaller swing to win”.

He said: “The seat’s demographics could help the Greens too: young, diverse, Remain-voting, with lower concern about migration than recent by-elections, it’s strong territory for Polanski, whose approval among 18-24s is almost nine times what it is among the over-75s.

“We know that high-profile candidates – whether it be Burnham in Makerfield or Farage in Clacton – can motivate voters and boost turnout in by-elections.”

Labour is yet to choose its own candidate for the crunch vote.

HuffPost UK was told by one source that it is “a slam dunk” that Camden Council leader and Starmer ally, Sagal Abdi-Wali, will be Labour’s candidate.

The local insider said: “It will be a straight Lab-Green fight, so Polanski has a chance. Sagal will be a strong candidate with cast-iron local credentials and a personal story that will resonate with huge chunks of the electorate.

“Her being Muslim and Somali will limit Polanski’s ability to attract people angry about Gaza.”

However, other party sources insist the candidacy is still up for grabs.

Tryl told HuffPost UK this by-election “will be a fascinating test of what the electoral landscape looks like on the left of British politics”.

He noted Burnham started to unite the left since replacing Starmer, he has “halved the share of 2024 Labour voters defecting to the Greens since the spring”.

A separate YouGov tracker shows 50% of respondents think Burnham is a better PM than Polanski would be, compared to 8% who believe it is vice versa.

Tryl added: “Polanski’s own popularity has tumbled, leaving him the least popular party leader in the country.

“On the raw numbers, that makes Labour look like a safe seat: Holborn and St Pancras isn’t even a top-100 target for the Greens, who’d need a 19-point swing to take it outright.”

But the pollster also observed that “support for Labour has eroded in the seat in recent years”.

“For Labour, this is one of the first real tests of whether Burnham has really managed to unite the left behind Labour again,” Tryl said. “For the Greens, it’s a test of whether Polanski can regain his mojo after a difficult few months.”

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

Zia Yusuf has been accused of plotting to replace Nigel Farage amid heightened scrutiny over Reform UK donations.

The party has been reported to the Metropolitan Police after an undercover sting operation accused Reform of accepting foreign funding, which goes against British electoral law.

Investigative journalists from Verbatim accused the party of allegedly taking funding from a US company to commission three supposedly independent polls at £32,500 earlier this year.

Reform’s head of policy James Orr and Farage’s close aide Dan Jukes organised the donation and were unaware the donors were actually undercover reporters.

Jukes has been accused of suggesting a way to work around British electoral law, too, so an American donor could give £500,000 to Reform UK.

Jukes and Orr have stepped down after the report was broadcast by Channel 4 News.

Reform insists it is not guilty of any wrongdoing and called the incident a “hoax”.

Farage has downplayed the concerns about breaching electoral rules, claiming it was “loose pub talk” and “jack-the-lad-dery”.

Amid this serious chaos, Yusuf chose to publish a glossy social media, telling a detailed story about his childhood and life before politics.

“I’ve dedicated my life to serving,” the unelected politician said in the clip.

“I’ve spent my career getting things done, doing hard things in the real world. That’s exactly what I’ll bring to the office of home secretary.

“If you want another career politician doing TikToks about crisps, there’s plenty to choose from. If you want someone who will do whatever it takes to deliver on our promises, vote Reform.”

The clip was published shortly before Yusuf’s major speech in front of the party conference where he told Reform delegates the “fate of this country is down to us”.

It quickly sparked speculation that the Reform politician’s timing may have been strategic.

Former Farage ally Tim Montgomerie, who was recently suspended for publicly criticising the party, said: “The sooner Nigel Farage realises this man is running to replace him as leader, the better.”

Reform UK has been approached for comment.

Plenty of other commentators on social media seemed to think Yusuf might also have his eye on the crown.

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

Nigel Farage has played down the accusations that Reform UK has accepted foreign donations and insisted the row stems from “loose pub talk”.

An undercover sting operation conducted by investigative group Verbatim and published in a Channel 4 News documentary has accused two top party aides of accepting US funds for the party.

Verbatim’s undercover reporters claim Reform’s head of policy James Orr and Farage’s close aide Dan Jukes took funding from a US company to commission three supposedly independent polls at £32,500 earlier this year.

British electoral law says political donations can only be made by someone eligible to vote in the UK or a UK-registered company.

The report also says Jukes suggested a way to get around those electoral rules to secure a £500,000 donation from the US to the party.

Reform initially denied any wrongdoing and called the operation a “hoax”. Orr and Jukes then stood down from their party posts on Friday morning.

During a press conference at Reform’s annual get-together in Birmingham, Farage read out a statement defending his party over the accusations.

The party leader denied wrongdoing around the poll and how it was paid for, instead pointing out names of potential other donors were bleeped out in the footage.

Farage said: “What is more problematic is loose pub talk, including a couple of boasts that simply were not true.

“So in the video, when he [Jukes] says we’ve done it with X, we’ve done it with Y – well, the reason Channel 4 haven’t broadcast the names of X and Y is because it isn’t true.

“Donations from the names that were mentioned had not occurred, don’t exist on the old comms site, don’t exist in our accounts.

“And while I’m aware that our people were pushed and pushed and pushed into saying these things, the comments were injudicious at best.

“Neither of these men was authorised to act in that way. Accordingly, they’ve stepped down pending an investigation.”

Reform UK says it is conducting an internal investigation into what happened but denies any wrongdoing.

The Electoral Commission said it is “in touch” with the Metropolitan Police after Channel 4 broadcast, though the police have not opened an investigation at the time of reporting.

Farage also accused the reporters of “entrapment”.

After a question from the BBC, he told the press conference: “Am I annoyed that these people even got to meet me? Yes I am, it should not have happened.

“The two individuals involved are not even part of our fundraising team, so they should have gone through the appropriate channels.

“Checks would have been made and they would never, ever have got to sit down at a table with me.”

Farage continued: “We have not taken an illegal penny in funding, that is important. The loose pub talk, frankly, there was a bit of boasting, a bit of jack-the-lad-dery going on there.

“If it was more serious than that, then I refer you back to the BBC’s question earlier, the names would have been put on to the programme and there would be a hell of a row. They don’t exist. Those donations don’t exist.”

Asked about the way Jukes, his close friend, is involved, Farage said: “I don’t like it at all. I’ve worked with Dan very closely for many years, many, many years, and I described it as loose pub talk, and that’s what it was, because what he said simply wasn’t true.

“He got put into a position and he should never have said what he did. I believe the investigation will find he should never have said one or two of the things that he said.”

The Clacton MP’s comments come after Farage admitted this morning to LBC that he is “not happy” about the row, but insisted: “The party has broken no laws. The party has not taken any dodgy money or anything like that whatsoever.”

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

We’re mere weeks away from the highly-anticipated return of The Celebrity Traitors, and one loose-lipped contestant is already giving away secrets.

Comedian Joe Lycett has admitted he broke one of the golden rules of the BBC reality show and told “everyone” he was appearing on the second season.

“We weren’t meant to ask people if they were doing it,” he shared during an appearance on Hits Radio. “You sign the NDA and they say don’t tell anyone you’re doing it. But if you search the word ‘traitors’ in my WhatsApp, I told everyone!”

“I was telling Uber drivers, I was telling everyone,” he quipped.

Before heading to the castle, Joe also spent a lot of energy trying to work out if anyone else from his inner circle was taking part in the celebrity version of the popular series.

He recalled: “I asked Joanne McNally, who is one of my favourite people in the world, and she said ‘I’m in as well’. So, the comics sort of worked out who was in because we all talk to each other.”

Although the BBC valiantly tried to keep the cast under wraps until the official announcement, Joe admitted they were fighting a losing battle.

“You don’t know the line-up, but I think they published it two days before we went in, and I was like: ‘Oh God’,” he revealed.

Because Joe knew who would be heading to the Scottish castle with him, he came with some preconceived notions about his co-stars.

“I got on with everyone, and I thought there were certain people I wouldn’t get on with when I saw the line-up,” he candidly added, although the unusually-reserved star didn’t elaborate any further or name names.

The Celebrity Traitors season two line-up is a who’s who of stars from the world of TV, music, film, sport and beyond, including Bella Ramsey, Michael Sheen and Ross Kemp.

Last month, the first trailer for season two of The Celebrity Traitors dropped, showing what we can expect from host Claudia Winkleman and the star-studded cast when the show returns at the end of the year.

If you want to know who is joining Joe in the Celebrity Traitors castle for season two, check out our guide to this year’s full cast here.

I bloody love a good cry. A happy cry, sad cry, cathartic cry. If there are strong emotions happening, you can guarantee that I will be in tears at one point or another. I’m not alone, either. Despite us Brits having a reputation for a ‘stiff upper lip’, according to YouGov survey data, we’re a teary nation and 51% of us think it’s acceptable to cry at work.

I always thought that my love for crying was because I’m incredibly sensitive and constantly looking for an outlet and maybe that is a part of it but, actually, crying or just producing tears often has a biological purpose beyond letting emotions out. In fact, depending on the cause, our tears are made up of different chemical compositions.

The body is just so fascinating, isn’t it? We are all medical marvels.

These are the tears that we are mostly familiar with. Ones that come from emotional state changes – good or bad – and the types that flow freely when we’re overwhelmed or, you could say, moved to tears.

Yale University explains: “Chemically different from basal and reactive tears, emotional tears contain leucine-enkephalin, a neuropeptide related to endorphins. It is this chemical that makes us feel better after we cry.”

Basal tears are responsible for keeping our eyes lubricated. They are our ‘baseline’ tears and are present in our eyes at all times.

According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, this can change with age. They explain: “Basal tear production slows with age, and this can lead to the development of dry eye. Dry eye is a common problem for people undergoing hormonal changes, especially women during pregnancy and menopause.”

Finally, we have reflexive tears. Cleveland Clinic explains:”Physical triggers cause reflex tears to form. They help wash away harmful irritants like dust, smoke or onion fumes. Reflex tears contain antibodies to help fight bacteria.”