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Westminster was in meltdown, and the eyes of the nation watched the resignations of government members and the growing calls from MPs for the PM to fall on his sword. For many the uncertainty or sheer incredulity of this was enough to focus on, but for the apparatchiks in the Green Party, it was a damn good time to bury bad news.

As MPs plunged their daggers into the backs of their boss, Zack Polanski quietly trundled out a statement admitting he had failed to pay the correct amount of council tax on his London houseboat. It's extraordinarily good politics, burying bad news as a hurricane of self-interest descends again on Westminster. But it is precisely because it is good politics that it exposes Mr Polanski for what he is - a political chameleon with no backbone, no principles, and the moral direction of a weathervane in a storm.

The eco-populist leader is not a stranger to controversy, with his poor comments about the bravery of our police in stopping a knife wielding thug having right caused outrage just weeks ago.

But he is fast becoming an exceptional communicator, as are those he surrounds himself with. This is the dark art of news management. Release bad news when something bigger is dominating the headlines. Bury your scandal beneath someone else's crisis. Hope nobody notices whilst the cameras are pointed elsewhere.

Good politics? Absolutely. Fundamentally dishonest? Without question.

Mr Polanski has spent his political career attaching himself to whatever cause he can hold u as morally superior compared to the mainstream. He has long prided himself on having good ethics, transparency, and speaking truth to power - a loathsome left-wing term that normally means 'shouting at people you disagree with whilst covering your ears.

Yet when faced with his own shortcomings, Mr Polanski waited until the perfect moment to slip out a confession he hoped would go unnoticed.

As it was with Angela Rayner's - this is extremely straightforward. Council tax is not optional for you or me. It funds the local services Mr Polanski claims to champion, and for which his party is now responsible across swathes of this country. Every household is expected to pay their fair share. That includes politicians who lecture the rest of us about civic duty.

How long has Mr Polanski known about this underpayment? When did he discover the error? Why release the statement on a night of maximum political chaos unless he was actively trying to avoid scrutiny?

These are questions he must answer. But the timing of his confession tells us everything we need to know about his approach to accountability. He chose theatre over honesty. He chose political calculation over straightforward admission.

Progressive politicians love to talk about transparency and integrity. Mr Polanski's late night confession shows exactly how much those words are worth when the cameras are looking elsewhere.