Motion #02
The work of the leaders was, as for the rest of the party, dominated by the local and general elections this past year. All four leaders undertook significant campaigns and the success of the elections this year has framed a large proportion of the work since.
Co-Leaders Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay both stood in target constituency campaigns in the general election and were elected as MPs alongside Siân Berry and Ellie Chowns.
Adrian Ramsay was elected as MP for Waveney Valley winning 42% of the vote, overturning a notional Conservative majority of over 22,000 in an area that has previously been considered Conservative heartlands. Since becoming a MP in July 2024 Adrian is leading for the Greens in the Commons on nature and farming (DEFRA), health and social care, the treasury and animal protection.
Carla Denyer was elected as MP for Bristol Central winning 56.6% of the vote, similarly overturning a large majority. Since becoming a MP Carla has spoken in the chamber 12 times on a wide range of issues. She is leading for the Green Parliamentary Group on energy and net zero, immigration, renters’ rights, women & equalities, and science & technology.
During the general election campaign the co-leaders represented the party in hundreds of media interviews, and worked closely with their campaign teams, national staff, the General Election steering group and thousands of volunteers to ensure the campaign was delivered effectively and according to agreed objectives. In advance of the short campaign, the leaders had played a key role in steering the strategy for the election, working closely with colleagues on the party executive and the senior staff team.
The co-leaders worked with the development and campaign teams supporting fundraising, including securing a number of major donor contributions, which was crucial to electoral success.
Deputy Leader Zack Polanski stood for London Assembly and was re-elected as an Assembly Member, working with Caroline Russell and Zoe Garbett. During the local and general elections Zack supported the campaigns by visiting local party action days and supporting the training for parliamentary candidates. Alongside the London Assembly campaign Zack also supported the London Mayoral campaign by attending action days, events and undertaking media requests which contributed to a strong result.
As well as member recruitment and movement growing, Zack travelled the country to visit members meetings to help grow local parties in future target constituencies whilst primarily supporting the national efforts in the 4 target seats.
During the general election campaign Zack worked closely with their campaign teams and thousands of volunteers around the country to contribute to the party effectively keeping on target for the national strategy – as well as being involved in the running of it through the General Election Steering Group. Zack was also involved with fundraising efforts both through local parties and with our major donors.
Finally Zack participated in hundreds of podcasts and media interviews representing our party and our democratically agreed policies.
The election focus for Wales Green Party is the Senedd elections in 2026 where there are opportunities to win seats in Cardiff building on strong general and local election results across the city.
Wales Leader Anthony Slaughter stood as a parliamentary candidate in Cardiff South and Penarth achieving a first ever second place in Wales with 14.7 % of the vote. Much of the work during the general election of the Wales Green Party had Senedd elections in mind, as does upcoming campaigning for council elections in 2027 and any by-elections across the nation.
As well as general increases in media presence (detailed below) there has also been increasing media coverage in Wales with Anthony featuring increasingly across Welsh national broadcast media and other publications, with a particularly noticeable increase of interest from Welsh language media.
Anthony led frequent Wales Green Party teams to come to target constituencies during the general election. The target campaigns, especially Bristol Central, benefitted greatly from the support of Wales Green Party members and are looking forward to repaying the support as campaigning begins for the Senedd.
Anthony continued to visit local parties across Wales, attending these and other membership engagement events across Wales, both online and in person.
There was far greater media interest in the Green Party from news and media outlets than in previous elections. This was made possible by a number of factors including our substantial growth in councillor numbers since 2019 and standing candidates right across England and Wales this time. The co-leaders substantially increased their individual profiles, raising the profile of the party and communicating our policies to the public.
All leaders were active in local, regional and national media, across a range of platforms including print, radio, tv and social media platforms. They engaged with a wide variety of audiences and consistently put forward the policies and values of the party, contributing to the party’s electoral success.
During the general election campaign the leaders worked closely with the communications team and developed responses to reactive media requests, and alongside a team of spokespeople communicated our manifesto policies on a wide range of topics. Messaging and media lines were developed daily during the general election short campaign and the leadership team were the main voice nationally of the party’s responses to other political events and news. Unlike in previous elections, in addition to covering our manifesto and campaign launches, the media took seriously our other key events of the campaign such as policy launches on particular topics.
Carla and Adrian took on high profile media appearances alongside leaders of other parties, including in-depth interviews and national TV debates. During the campaign Carla and Adrian spent large proportions of their time on high profile national media opportunities, balancing this with their campaigning in their prospective constituencies. Based in London, Zack responded to an increased number of media requests where the ability to respond quickly in person was necessary.
Alongside the communications team the leaders have continued to develop relationships with journalists and make sure the Green Party’s voice is being taken seriously as a national political party in England and Wales.
Having travelled very widely over the preceding two years to visit local parties across England and Wales, this year Carla and Adrian needed to spend more time in their constituencies, although still managed to visit many local parties within their home regions. Zack contributed by taking on visits further from the South West and Eastern
regions, supporting development areas and enthusing party members, many of whom came to campaign in our four successful target constituencies – thank you!
More broadly, the leadership team has maintained relationships with civil society and external organisations by participating in events, festivals, demonstrations, and rallies. They campaigned alongside pressure groups and coalitions in alignment with Green Party policy and collaborated closely with unions to support their initiatives. Additionally, they engaged with the broader network of Greens across the UK, Europe, and internationally.
Last updated on 2024-11-02 at 12:44