Political by Design: Siân Berry MP on Brighton, the Green Surge whether the party can hold it together

The latest episode of Political by Design, Scene Magazine's political podcast, is out now — and it is a revealing conversation about the state of British progressive politics.

On a sunny early-spring afternoon in Brighton, host Leslie Clarke sat down with Siân Berry, the Green Party MP for Brighton Pavilion. What followed was an hour-long conversation that ranged from the inside story of the Greens' historic 2024 four-seat breakthrough, to Zack Polanski's transformation of the party, to the harder question of whether a rapidly growing coalition with genuinely diverse priorities can hold together when the pressure comes.

Berry is candid throughout. She talks about inheriting Caroline Lucas's seat and team, about the real work of a bill committee, about a physical scrapbook she has kept since 1989 recording the last time the press ran wall-to-wall coverage of the Greens. The parallels with now, she says, are impossible to ignore.

She is also honest about what success actually demands. The Greens have grown from 68,000 members to over 220,000 in under a year. As things stand, they are polling ahead of Labour among under-25s. However, parties are now facing a completely different political landscape, which is more volatile and has far fewer party-loyal voters.

The question the episode does not shy away from is whether a party simultaneously speaking to climate voters, cost of living voters, housing campaigners and civil liberties advocates can keep all of those people genuinely heard as it grows.

It is a conversation that takes the Greens seriously enough to ask the difficult questions alongside the celebratory ones. Berry's answers are worth hearing in full.

The episode is available now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and all major platforms. A full write-up of the conversation is also available to read.