Sian Berry selected as candidate to follow Caroline Lucas as next Green MP for Brighton Pavilion

19 July 2023

Brighton and Hove Green Party members today selected Sian Berry to become the next Green MP for Brighton Pavilion.

Berry was selected as the new Brighton Pavilion candidate after winning 71% of first preference votes. [1]

Berry is a former co-leader and principal speaker of the Green Party of England and Wales, and has been their candidate for Mayor of London three times, coming third in both 2016 and 2021. [2]

Berry said:

“It’s an enormous responsibility to continue the work of Caroline Lucas. Brighton Pavilion needs a Green MP in Parliament representing all the people across this wonderful constituency, and I can promise every voter in Brighton Pavilion that I will work every moment between now and the General Election to win their trust and support.”

Zoe John, Deputy Chair of Brighton and Hove Green Party, said:

“I am delighted to announce that Sian Berry won the support of members from a fantastic line up of high-quality candidates. Green Party members have chosen Sian to contest the next General Election and to build on the foundations laid by Caroline Lucas as the first Green MP for Brighton Pavilion.

“Brighton and Hove, like the rest of the country, is faced with the accelerating climate and nature emergencies, a cost of living scandal driven by increasing inequalities, and a broken political system.

“Between now and the General Election, Brighton and Hove Green Party members will be listening to voters and focussing on the issues that matter to them – demonstrating why a Green voice in Brighton Pavilion will not only be a powerful local voice, but will also keep the city on the national political map.”

Caroline Lucas MP said:

“It has been the honour of my life to represent the people of Brighton Pavilion in Parliament for the past 13 years, and to see my majority increase at each of the past four elections.

“I am delighted that Sian has been elected by party members. There couldn’t be a more passionate and committed person to pick up the baton and continue this city’s tradition of doing politics differently, and standing up for what matters.

“I am certain that Sian will be a powerful Green voice in Parliament, holding to account whichever party forms the next Government, and championing the concerns of constituents.

“This country desperately needs more Green MPs. This is a critical decade for tackling the climate and nature emergencies, supporting people through a cost of living scandal, and campaigning for social justice and human rights. I can’t wait to see what Sian will do!”

NOTES

Sian Berry was selected as the candidate for Brighton Pavilion with 71% of first preference votes. Emily O’Brien came second and Dan Rue came third.

Berry has been elected to the London Assembly since 2016 and has been a councillor for the Highgate ward in Camden since 2014. In her work she focuses on preserving and securing new council housing and renters’ rights, making sure young people can thrive and promoting equality.

Berry worked mainly in the policy area of transport before joining the Assembly. She was a founder of the successful campaign group Alliance against Urban 4x4s in the early 2000s, and worked as a roads and sustainable transport campaigner for the charity Campaign for Better Transport for five years. She is also the author of a number of books on green issues.

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Tata battery plant step towards more sustainable transport, say Greens

19 July 2023

Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer has responded to Tata’s decision to build a new electric car battery plant in Bridgwater, Somerset [1]:

“The end of the production of diesel and petrol cars is in sight, and workers in those industries need to know where their futures lie. Today’s announcement will hopefully provide some assurance.

“Of course, electric cars are not a silver bullet for the climate crisis. They bring their own environmental costs and do not, in themselves, encourage better public transport options.

“However, they will play an important part of a wider strategy to move people and goods in a more sustainable way, alongside better facilities for walking, cycling and public transport.

“This factory is a long-delayed, small step toward recognising the need for a rapid transition to a new economy. It would be better still if this new facility was designed to supply batteries for mass transit vehicles as well as cars.

“The government has spent too much time dealing with economic crises of its own making following Brexit, and flip-flopping on green initiatives. It has created huge uncertainty for businesses and employees about whether it is serious about moving toward a net-zero economy.

“One-off deals are no substitute for a government strategy that supports workers and businesses to create the new, sustainable green industries of the future.

“We need a government strategy to give people and businesses confidence that moves to a net-zero economy are urgent and irreversible.”

ENDS

Notes

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66237935

For more information or to arrange an interview contact the press office on press@greenparty.org.uk or call 0203 691 9401

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Inflation-matching pay rise for public sector “all gain and no pain” say Greens

18 July 2023

A new report from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) refutes claims by Rishi Sunak and his government that larger wage settlements for public sector workers would fuel inflation [1]. They say that inflation-matching pay rises, financed from taxation, would have zero impact on inflation.

Reacting, Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsey said:

“This research draws a line under the argument that paying public service workers decently fuels inflation. It shows that if inflation-matching pay rises were financed from taxation, the impact on inflation would be zero.

“Greens have long championed a wealth tax to help fund our public services, contribute towards the transition to a greener economy, and create a more equal society [2]. It is clear that such a tax – to fund proper pay rises for public service workers – will be all gain and no pain.”

Notes

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Greens call for rent controls to prevent soaring living costs

14 July 2023

Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer has urged the government to introduce rent controls after an official survey from the Office for National Statistics found that 43% of tenants found it difficult to afford their rent between February and May [1].

Denyer said:

“Everyone deserves a place to call home and so it is simply unacceptable that the government is not doing anywhere near enough to help the thousands of people who are struggling to pay rents that are shooting up with no relationship to incomes.

“The government could help if it only had the political will. Unfortunately, it seems the Prime Minister is too out of touch to realise the very real consequences currently facing many across the country.

“An immediate rent freeze, alongside an eviction ban, would go a long way to prevent people being made homeless during this cost of living crisis.

“In the longer term, councils should be given the power to bring in rent controls in areas where the housing market is overheated.

“And I want to see much stricter controls on the type of new homes being built to include more affordable and social housing for buying and renting.”

Notes

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/personalandhouseholdfinances/expenditure/articles/impactofincreasedcostoflivingonadultsacrossgreatbritain/februarytomay2023

For more information or to arrange an interview contact the press office on press@greenparty.org.uk or call 0203 691 9401

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It is failure to act on climate crisis which is truly “dangerous and irresponsible” say Greens

6 July 2023

Reacting to comments made by the boss of Shell in a BBC interview [1], Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer said:

“Without even the vaguest hint of irony, the boss of Shell, which recently vowed to scale back on its climate change pledges [2], says it would be “dangerous and irresponsible” to cut oil and gas production, blaming the slow pace of the transition towards renewables.

“This is fossil fuel spin at its worst. The truly dangerous and irresponsible thing to do is to continue with business as usual at a time when temperature records are tumbling on a daily basis [3] and the International Energy Agency has said there must be no new investments in oil, gas and coal [4].

“It is companies like Shell that stand in the way of a rapid move towards renewables, aided and abetted by a Conservative government that continues to grant licences for more oil and gas exploration.”

Notes

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