The Green Party has voted to oppose the introduction of Freeports and Special Economic Zones across the United Kingdom at it’s annual party conference in Manchester.

Commenting Green Party Co-Leader Adrian Ramsay said: “There is no place for Freeports or Special Economic Zones in the United Kingdom. Their introduction will only serve to displace economic activity from elsewhere whilst reducing tax revenue that is so desperately needed for our broken public services. The lack of transparency in decision making and reductions in environmental, planning and employment legislation are all factors that should alarm every UK citizen.”

At their conference in Manchester, Green delegates today voted to support an immediate ban on greyhound racing and the use of the whip in horse racing. This is alongside a high compulsory levy to be imposed on all betting, to be used solely for welfare improvements, and a single regulatory authority to enforce animal welfare standards.

Co-leader Adrian Ramsay said:

“We are the first party to pledge to ban greyhound racing, a position supported by the RSPCA, Dog’s Trust, Blue Cross, and a majority of the public.

“Preventing greyhounds from being raced for the benefit of the betting industry and commercial gain would bring an end to the unnecessary deaths and suffering of these dogs.

“Approximately 200 horses die every year from horse racing [2]. Banning the use of the whip is a basic step for animal welfare. Equally the horse racing industry needs to answer how it will stop the shocking number of deaths it’s industry causes that no one wants to see.

“These measures would also help reduce the harm caused by problem gambling.”

At its party conference in Manchester, the Greens have voted to support United Nations experts’ calls for the Taliban’s treatment of women to be recognised as a gender apartheid under international law and as a crime against humanity. 

The party endorsed Amnesty International’s demands of the UK government to: 

• Consult with women-led organisations in Afghanistan 
• Support Afghan women’s rights activists 
• Ensure that protecting women’s rights is non-negotiable with the Taliban 
• Provide safe passage for Afghan women and girls seeking asylum in the UK. 

Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer said:  

“Since the Taliban’s 2021 takeover of Afghanistan, women have been systematically erased from society, being ordered against leaving their homes without a male relative, banned from secondary education, and banned from working in most sectors.  

“Last month, women were ordered to cover their entire bodies in public, banned from looking directly at men they are not related to, and banned from speaking in public. This is a humanitarian crisis, and the Green Party stands in solidarity with the 14 million women and girls trapped in this brutal gender apartheid.” 

“Although the UK government does not recognise the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan, through the UK Mission to Afghanistan we have a unique opportunity to advocate for Afghan women. We must use this opportunity to provide both support for women-led organisations in Afghanistan and those seeking asylum.” 

The Green Party has adopted new policy at its Manchester Autumn conference calling for a clear regulatory framework that will drive the development and uses of AI in ways that put the interests of people and planet first.   

This includes the appointment of an Ombudsman to champion the rights of individuals and groups in the coming AI revolution, and certification of energy and water consumption to force improvements in these areas.   

Proposer, Graham Tavener said: “The likely impact of AI on our lives now, and in the near future, demands serious and urgent action. 

“AI should be of great benefit, but there are risks too. We need regulation now to control its potential to take over our lives.”  

Green MP Carla Denyer said: “The government needs to be pushed to get ahead of the rapid development of AI so it is democratically regulated. 

“We need to prohibit certain uses of AI by law, including lethal autonomous weapons systems. We also need a regulator with the powers to ensure workers’ rights and interests are respected when AI leads to significant changes in working conditions.” 

Green Party conference in Manchester has voted for a new law to protect people from contaminated land. It has been coined ‘Zane’s Law’ after 7-year-old Zane Gbangbola who died when Hydrogen Cyanide was carried by floodwater from a contaminated landfill site into his home in 2014. The legislation would force all Local Authorities to keep a regularly updated Register of Land that may be contaminated and the Environment Agency to hold a National Register of Contaminated Land.  

Responding, Green peer Natalie Bennett, who proposed the successful motion, said: 

“Current UK regulations on contaminated land pose a threat to human life and welfare. They are dangerously inadequate, especially given climate breakdown, rising sea levels, increased rainfall, and flooding. Zane’s Law proposes measures to address this crisis.  

“It seeks to address this contamination crisis by aligning the UK with global best practice for the protection of communities from hazardous land. It would reinstate legislative provisions removed by the Conservative government from the 1990 Environment Protection Act and ensure the UK adheres to the Universal Right to a Healthy Environment, endorsed by the UN in July 2022. 

“The protection of citizens must be a primary responsibility of government. As Greens we therefore urge Labour to add this important and long overdue law to their legislative programme and provide the necessary funds for Local Authorities to meet the new requirements.”