And our new leaders pick up pole
position at a pivotal moment for the
Green Party, but a pivotal moment also
for the whole country
as we watch the dusty old two party
system crumble away and we create
openings as the insurgents.
It's already become a bit of a cliche to
say it uh in quite a short space of
time, but we are really moving into a
multi-party system with the Greens
poised to help create the next
government. And like all the best
cliches, it has the distinctive
advantage of also being true.
For we, we're like a 50-year-old
startup.
We
we have deep roots in communities up and
down the country where we've supported
initiatives for people struggling with
their bills, people wanting to open food
banks to protect rivers, trees, and
parks. And that's why people have gone
on voting for green counselors in
bi-election after bi-election. with the
one. Yay. Go.
People know and respect the Greens for
being hardworking, professional, and
delivering change. And that's now why
we've now got 863
counselors right across
I don't know. I don't know who whistle,
but I wish I could whistle. I wish I
could whistle like that. But we do. And
those are counselors in leafy suburbs
down windy country lanes and in inner
city estates right across the country.
Now whether you're looking for example
at Graangetown in Cardiff where we just
won a bi-election
through to South Jund and Newcastle
where we just won a bi-election
whether whether it's in Bristol or
Lancaster or Midsuffford and in 40
administrations ations where the Green
Party is there working for millions of
people and making direct change for
their lives. And meanwhile in our houses
of parliament, we are super proud to
have our four fantastic MPs and our
you can't too soon. You're going to have
to come again now. Oh, fantastic queen
and two pierce. Yay.
And they're there day in day out. Okay,
taking a minor break today. Championing
the voices of those whose voices don't
get heard enough. The millions of people
struggling with their rents calling for
rent control. the millions of people
calling for an utter opposition to the
genocide in Gaza and against
and speaking up against the misuse of
terrorism laws to silent protest.
and they're putting an unwavering
consistent call for taxes on the uber
wealthy. And they we are confident that
those voices in the Houses of Parliament
will soon be amplified by our first win
in the next national general election at
the Senate in Wales where our colleague
Anthony Slaughter, who I can't see. Yay.
and and the Greens are on the move. So I
can tell you today we're going straight
up to Hackne where there's a Maril
contest coming up soon and at the
weekend we're going straight down to
Cardiff in order to back Anony's effort
in that seat. And alongside
but alongside that deep professional
expertise that the Greens bring wherever
they can, we also have the energy of a
startup. the wild ambition, the verve,
the determination that we can move fast
to deliver the kind of change that we
know the country is crying out for and
that we can take on the cold old
monolithic blocks of power and
inequality that have had a strangle hold
on our country for far too long and that
have now risen after sort of
Frankenstein style, dressed up as reform
as if They were new, but actually same
old, same old. Backed by the
billionaires, by the multinational
companies, and by Trump,
we are the antidote to reform.
>> We at the Green Party are the antidote
to reform. And we're a home for all
those people across the country holding
their heads in their hands as the Labor
government lets them down again and
again and again. Whether it is filing
from the aid budget or from people with
disabilities and not bringing in taxes
on the super wealthy that we need. And
that is why in reaction a new green wave
is sweeping the country as people turn
to us looking to us for that hope and
change that they so desperately need
eager to sign up to us. Which is why I'm
absolutely delighted to announce this
morning that our membership levels at
the Green Party are at their highest
ever at 68,500
members.
That's where we are at the highest level
and I can tell you it's continuing to
rise and that is just the start because
I am determined determined even together
with our new leadership that we can
realize all our most deeply held
ambitions and dreams that we can
Together with our new leadership, really
at this critical time in British
politics, we can grow exponentially our
impact and our influence and be that
collective voice for climate and social
justice.
And so now with our nails bitten down to
the quick, we have the big reveal. So, I
want to hand over now to our tireless
electoral returning officer, Stuart
Christie. And I want to ask you to
please applaud all the staff who have
also worked day and night to pull off
this.
Uh so thank you Harriet. Um as the
returning officer for the Green Party of
England and Wales, I would like to take
a small moment to thank our members for
taking the time to vote in an unusually
long list of internal elections this
year. Um with nearly four months of
campaigning and 50 candidates to choose
from, countless interviews across the
media and so many hostings across the
country has been a massive task for
members and candidates alike.
Um, I'm now happy to confirm the total
paid up electorate in all contests was
64,581
with over 140,000 votes cast across all
elections.
Starting with the election for the
leader of the Green Party of England and
Wales, the number of votes cast were as
follows.
Ron reopen nominations
149.
Ellie Chimes and Adrien Ramsey
3,75
and Zach Balansky
20,411.
Heat up
here.
Come on.
So, I'm happy to declare that Zach
Blansky is the new leader of the Green
Party of England and Wales.
Thank you very much. Thank you to every
single person who voted for me. I
promise to work every single day to
deliver environmental, social, racial,
and economic justice. And to those of
you who didn't vote for me, this is a
democracy. We don't have to agree on
everything. We just have to have common
cause. And I give the same commitment to
you. I will work every single day to
grow this party. So, thank you very
much.
One of my favorite moments on this
campaign was when a woman got in touch.
She said she just joined a political
party for the first time in her life.
She finally felt like there was hope in
this country, that we could turn the
country around. Now, that wasn't that
unique. But what was special about this
was that her mom had been one of the
first ever members of the Ecology Party.
She'd left. She'd kind of just drifted
away. She felt like things weren't
moving fast enough. And I'm delighted to
welcome both Dr. Tess Mling to the
party. And welcome back her mom, Jackie,
as well as those thousands of new
members. Welcome to the Green Party.
I want to thank everyone who works on my
campaign team. And it's always awkward
because I want to give every name, but
we'd be here all day. But I do want to
give a special thank you to my
incredible campaign manager, Narini.
Norin's organizational skill is
phenomenal. She can work a team like no
one else I know. And more than anything,
she's kind and she's compassionate. I
can't believe that you were silly enough
to do this twice. But thank you so much
for everything, Narin. I also want to
say a huge thank you to Ailen. Ailen,
we've known each other for years and you
give me daily wisdom. again compassion
thoughts and opinions even when I don't
want them and you're just phenomenal to
be around. So thank you very much to Ay
the entire campaign
and finally from my team I guess I want
to thank the person who's always got my
back and that's my partner Richie. Oh
here we go.
fall in love with you more every single
day. Richie, thank you for your
kindness, your strength. I'm going to
stop talking about you. And
you tell me every day how proud you are
of me, but I just want everyone in here
to know that Richie works in palative
care and I can be prouder of everything
that you and your colleagues do to give
kindness and dignity to people in their
final chapters. So, big up to my
boyfriend Richie and to all of St.
Joseph Hospital.
There were lots of articles written
about this leadership race. In fact, the
Green Party has been searched more in
the last two months than it has in the
last 20 years. Some of those articles
have been amazing, some less so. Um, but
one of the ones I really loved was by a
man called Adam Ramsey. He's actually no
relation to Adrien Ramsey. That's just
an odd odd work, but it was about
Adrien, and I think it was really
pertinent. He said, "One of the reasons
I could run right now, and one of the
reasons I could run a radical campaign
that seemed credible was because I'm
standing on the shoulders of giants.
people like Adrian and people who have
been around the party for a long time,
who have been building and growing this
party as deputy leader, as co-leader,
now as the MP for Wavely Valley. I want
to give a huge thank you and
acknowledgement to Adrien Ramsey.
And I've said this multiple times during
the campaign, so it won't be a surprise,
but one of the times I'm proudest to be
a Green Party member is when I see Ellie
Chs stand up in parliament over a whole
range of issues, but particularly the
way she's held the foreign secretary and
the prime minister to account over the
ongoing genocide in Gaza. Thank you for
everything.
And since I'm thanking my MPs, Carla Da,
everything you've done in this
leadership team. It's been an absolute
pleasure to work with you on a daily
basis and to see you flying now as the
MP for Bristol Central. Huge.
I always want to make the joke that my
former assembly member got demoted to
the House of Commons, but it's nothing
funny. But again, it's been amazing to
see Shan Berry flying as the MP for
Brighton Pavilion.
So, it's time to get our MPs some more
company and get some more elected MPs in
the House of Commons. And this is the
Green Party's time. People in this
country are exhausted. They are tired.
They are sick of working long hours and
never feeling secure. They see water
companies pumping sewage into our waters
and charging us extra for the privilege.
And they see how broken the old
two-party system is. And we know this
political space has been ripe for
charlatans like Nigel Farage and reform.
Millionaires who are pretending to serve
working-class communities, but are
actually backed by the same billionaires
who are destroying our democracies, our
communities, and our planet. So it is an
absolute moral responsibility in this
moment for the Green Party to step up
with the bold politics that I know that
we have to say to people that we can and
we will lower your bills. We will
nationalize the water companies. We will
hold this Labor government to account
because when we look at Karmama and what
this government have been doing, whether
it's the two child benefit cap, the
disability cuts, the genocide in Gaza,
my message to Labor is very clear. We
are not here to be disappointed by you.
We are not here to be concerned by you.
We're here to replace you.
and we're set up for this moment. We
just got nearly 2 million votes. We've
got over 800 councilors, three London
Assembly members, uh four MPs, two
peers, nearly 2 million votes, and 39
second place finishes. Our first
mission, let's turn those second place
finishes into our brand new MPs.
And the work starts right now. This
weekend I will be in Cardiff with
Anthony Slaughter and the Green Team in
Wales. They are a perfect example of
where Labour's failed and broken
promises has caused absolute devastation
and destruction and reform are trying to
swoop in. We are ready to take that
fight to reform and in 2026 we will see
Greens elected to the Senate.
And this evening, you heard me right.
This evening, I'm going to be out on the
doorsteps with my London Assembly
colleague, Zoe Garbet, over there. Zoe
is phenomenal to work with every day.
And I know the work she does as an
assembly member and as a counselor. I'm
particularly excited to introduce you to
the man sat next to Zoe. This is Dylan
Law. Dylan is 19 and he grew up using
Labour's public services. He knows how
broken and how much they are failing his
family and his community. When young
people say to Dylan, "You're spending
kind of every evening having these
political meetings. What What are you
doing?" Dylan's answer as I understand
it is, "Well, what are you doing about
our future?" I want to see Delta Yes.
Not only are we going to get Dylan Law
and remember that name, Dylan elected
into Hackne as a counselor, he will also
be deputy mayor because Zoe is going to
be mayor of Hackne and our first ever
directly elected mayor.
>> And that's this evening. But what about
straight after this? I am straight to
UVW. That's United Voices of the World.
This is a migrants union. And let's be
clear, this is a total show of intent of
what this party is. We listen to the
poorest communities, whether they're
migrant communities, disabled
communities, the trans community,
working-class communities. Whoever needs
us to have their back, we will be there.
We will be there to amplify their
voices, to listen to the most
marginalized and minority communities,
to speak with them, not for them, and
challenge truth to power, to take on
power and wealth in this country. And we
absolutely recognize that migrants are
very much the backbone of this country.
Our country has problematic history that
we also need to come to terms with. But
also, we have a beautiful history, a
beautiful present, and a beautiful
future of what we are when communities
come together. So, let's have a very
clear Green Party message. Our
communities will always stand together.
Now, if you're watching this and you're
feeling excited, but there's something
else that's saying, "It just all feels
so hard right now." I get you and I hear
you. And I know for so many people it is
so difficult. But what I would say is if
you're feeling hopeless, if you're
feeling in despair, if you're feeling
politically homeless, there is a
political home for you. And I promise
you, nothing will make you feel more
inspired, more ready to get out there,
and more like we can turn our country
around than joining the Green Party. So
join the Green Party today.
And by the way, it doesn't have to stop
at joining the Green Party. We have just
launched our path to parliament program.
These are our future new green MPs. Now,
I know there are people in the party who
have been working away for decades and I
cannot wait to be with you and see you
in parliament celebrating your work. And
I'm also equally excited by people who
have not even joined the party yet can
be our future MPs. people who are
already uh running food banks,
protecting libraries, green spaces,
doing the work, but they haven't yet
connected with a political party. If you
want bold politics, if you want to take
truth to power, we want you on our team.
It's time to apply to path to
parliament. Applications are open and I
can't wait to see you on the training.
So finally, I want to recognize this
moment. This is a huge moment for our
party. But it's not just for our party.
This is about a green left. This is
about building and growing in this
moment so the country can have the
change it needs. So we can win more MPs,
more assembly members, more counselors.
And remember, the point of all of this
is to be in our communities, to build
our communities, to create even more
resilient communities, to create the
country that we want. So just like Dr.
Tess and her mom, Jackie that have
joined the party, that is new energy and
older wisdom joining. That is the future
of the Green Party. So let's get out
there because that is how we're going to
change our towns. It's how we're going
to change our cities. It's how we're
going to change our country. So, thank
you for electing me and let's get to
work.
Thank you and congratulations from all
of us. Zach. Uh, I can tell you there
are many people who sadly we couldn't
squeeze into this very packed room
today, but who are watching at home and
just to let them know that the whole
room has twice exploded into standing up
for you, Zach, and your exciting
leadership. But of course, we're an
extremely democratic party and it will
be a team that helps lead us into the uh
next stage. And that's why we're now
also so excited to announce the deputy
leadership. So Stuart, back to you.
>> Thank you, Harry.
So rather than bore you with the Green
Party proportional system and go through
11 rounds and telling you the numbers,
I'm going to cut to the chase and tell
you the result of the deputy leadership
election. So I'd like to congratulate
Maltton Alami and Rachel Milward.
And now we're going say a few words.
>> Oh gosh,
did I just do this? Um
>> Oh, yes.
Sorry about that. Carl's used to doing
it the other way.
What an incredible honor and to be in
this room just packed with so many
people who have inspired me so so deeply
um over these years. Thank you. Uh
thanks to everyone who voted um and who
supported and encouraged me through this
campaign. Thank you to my incredible and
sort of surprising volunteer team who
kind of gathered around me um with such
skills in this party. Guys, watch out.
Um really really wonderful. Thank you so
much to my partner and my family at home
for tolerating me tolerating this and
and loving me. Um,
I am just so excited to get going to
help this party grow and to grow well.
I'm excited to bring more trainers
training to the membership uh to help
support local parties to help us raise
the funds um to get us ready to win and
to win big across England and Wales.
Because
now is the time to unite against
division and hate, to defend nature, and
to fill our communities with hope. Let's
do this. Thank you so much.
See, this is like a bit smaller.
>> I think first of all, we got to thank
Harriet and all the staff who work so
tirelessly to get this campaign to where
it is.
See this is a huge honor and as a Muslim
we have this concept of amana as a trust
and this is what the people who have
voted for me have put in me a trust and
I and I hope that I can live up to that
trust that you've honor honored me with
and I need to thank a number of people
in my campaign. So I am going to whittle
off a few more names than Zach did but
I'm not going to go through everyone.
So, first of all, my campaign managers F
and CLA and TK and how youu and Serena
and Atiff I'm not there's there's loads
more people who who really took an idea
and turned it into a reality and I
really thank you from the bottom of my
heart.
And Selena, my wife, you've put up with
me for the last 15 years with all my
crazy antics. And I think I owe you an
apology cuz I'm going have to put you
through tomorrow.
We're getting a little bit more serious
right now. Politics in this country is a
it's a precipice.
There's a huge rise of far-right
minority communities, whether it be
Muslims, whether it be uh immigrants,
whether it be LGBT community, whether it
be trans community, regardless of which
minority you're from, we are being
targeted and our fight is won. And we've
got to come together and make sure that
we're ready together to challenge reform
and the rise of the far right.
See, we stood on three three key
messages. Community rooted action. And
this is one thing that the Green Party
has. It has people who are really
decent, who really genuinely care for
their communities. And up and down the
country, we've got these activists that
are embedded in their communities. These
are the people who are going to drive
this movement forward and we've got to
really really give them the resources
and the support they need to move this
movement forward.
We need to make Britain a fairer
Britain. I'm I'm a counselor in Leeds in
one of the most deprived areas in Leeds.
One of the most deprived areas in the
country. I get phone calls regularly
from people who can't feed their
children, who can't heat their homes,
you know, who can't pay their bills.
This country is just not working. this
Labor government who was supposed to be
the change is just not working. We've
got to take the fight to them. We've got
to make serious change and give them
real hope and real change
and that's it. You know, hope and unity.
Our party is fantastic. We've got to
come together and we've got to provide
that hope for the country. And I and I
hope to work with Zach and Rachel and
the rest of the people in this room to
make make that change possible. Thank
you everyone. Heat
up here.
There you have it everybody. A little
tiny glimpse into what an amazing team
we're going to have leading the Green
Party of England and Wales from now
onwards. super exciting and thank you
once again so much. And now we're going
to move to uh one of the last
announcements we'd like to make. Our
guests today from the press will be
delighted to know we're not going to go
through all the Green Party roles, but
they will all be uh of course on the
website, which Stuart has magically done
even while he stands here making his
announcements. But Stuart, come and tell
us who's the chair. We do want to know
who's the chair with our dream team
>> Yeah. Not quite yet. 2 minutes time.
Yeah. And I'll be there. Um so I would
like to congratulate John not actually
as
Joe's been reelected as chair of our
national executive and all the other
positions will be available on the
website in two minutes time so you can
see who your colleagues are going to be.
showing you.
Um, and of course, we'll publish all the
detailed results as well a little bit
later this afternoon. So, please check
the website and um, pour over the data.
>> Thank you so much. So, that's the
results and we're now going to move to a
chance for the press to put their
questions uh, to our new leader. So, I'm
looking for the press team who are going
to come and No, Zach's going to come and
take questions from the press. Over to
you, Zach.
>> Thanks, Mary.
Excellent. I think I've got Helen Cat
from the BBC. Uh, first up, just before
Helen asks a question, if Jenny and
Carla run out the room, they've got to
vote. They're not deeply offended by
something I've said.
>> Do we have Helen? Ah, there you are.
So you've won a massive victory this
amongst members but we have seen in the
past that massive amate
voting for you. Why do you think your
approach is going to work better than
one that has seen you get record
election results?
>> I think the question is exactly right.
We've got to find the enthusiasm that
there is in this room and for the Green
Party more widely and then connect that
with communities. I don't think that
comes from top down. And I know that
might sound odd when I've just been
elected as leader of a party, but
actually I see my role to facilitate
that enthusiasm in communities. I know
it's already there as the counselors in
this room know it's there because when
you turn up in the communities and you
listen and you do that deep listening,
you feel the enthusiasm people
experience when they can feel the change
for the first time. I think it's about
how do we harness that and multiply it
so more communities can have that. Of
course, that involves getting more
counselors elected, but the step before
that is more community organizing to be
in as many communities as possible where
people ideally from those communities
are the exact people stepping up to be
our next generation of counselors. Thank
you. Um, I've got Tamara from Sky.
>> Ah, there you are.
>> Thank you, Tamara Con from Sky News.
Congratulations on your win. You set out
some big ambitions here, but we saw and
you will have seen Jeremy Corbyn's Labor
Party pursue radical leftwing politics
and go down to devastating defeat in
2019. What makes you think that radical
left politics can have a broad appeal?
What have you learned from that? And
what do you think about the party that
he's setting up? Would you work together
with them? Would you have an alliance?
>> Sure. Thank you. So, the first thing I'd
say is this idea of radical left
politics. If we're talking about what
are the policies there, we want to
nationalize the water companies. We want
to tax multi-millionaires and
billionaires. We want to make sure that
we're tackling the climate crisis and
protecting nature. I think these are
policies that are popular in the
country. And actually, although they're
considered radical left, I think that
sometimes in the past, people who have
advocated for these policies have
allowed themselves to take on those
labels as opposed to going these are
policies that the 99% of communities
want. These are people who don't
These are the policies that people want
so we're not just surviving but actually
we're thriving so that people can have
jobs in the public sector that are paid
properly that they're given dignity that
they're given sick pay at work. These
are the things we're advocating for and
I think the radicalism actually comes
from the right when they think that
anything
that anything that looks like the status
quo right now or even worse is in any
way sustainable. So I think we need to
turn that around. In terms of the new
party, I think this really speaks to the
political moment. Karma is failing so
badly that not only the Green Party
massively surging to his left, a
movement that doesn't even exist yet. We
don't even know what their policies are.
People are saying anything but that,
anything but the old political system.
Now, I in a party clearly have a job to
do to speak to those people who haven't
yet joined the Green Party to say if you
believe in environmental, social,
racial, and economic justice. If you
want to see climate action, protect
nature, workers rights, lower bills,
then join the Green Party because this
is the exact place for you. It's too
soon to talk about joining or elect
coalitions. I'm actually going to steal
a line from John McDonald. I'm being
fair and crediting him rather than
pretending it was my own original
thought. He said he's not interested
right now in electoral coalitions. He's
interested in intellectual coalitions.
And I think that's a really sharp phrase
because I and I know the MPs, in fact,
anyone in the party wants to work and as
they do in parliament with anyone who
wants to challenge a failing Labor
government and take on fascism and the
far right. And so uh collaboration,
cooperation is in our DNA and as a
party. So I'm watching what's happening
very closely. But my real focus and the
party's focus right now is growing this
party that nearly got two million votes
that has 39 second place finishes. We're
going to see more counselors and more
MPs. The Green Party's moment is now.
>> I've got Sophie from the mirror. There
you are.
>> Sophie Hus from the Mirror. Thank you.
So, you won four seats at last year's
general election, as you said. Do you
have a target of how many seats you'd
love to win at a future general
election?
>> I mean, how much I'd love to win and how
much you're going to win is probably
slightly different questions. It's time
to be really, really ambitious and to be
visionary. Um, we should never ape the
politics of Nigel Farage and reform. But
what Nigel Farage has demonstrated is
bold communications that can cut
through. means where the level of
ambition might have been previously is
actually throwing down the gauntlet to
say let's raise our game. Let's raise
our communications game. Let's raise the
boldness of our messaging. Let's raise
our electoral capacity. And I believe
all those things are possible. For the
first time in this press conference, I'm
sure there'll be other times that I'm
going to say these aren't decisions for
the leader. They're decisions for the
membership. And in fact, that was
similar about the answer about Jeremy
Corbyn's party. These are all going to
be decisions and conversations that the
party have at party conference and on
various groups. That's a boring answer
though for my first day as leader. So
I'd like to see us winning at least 30
MPs at the next general election if not
more. And I think we can do more.
>> I've got Jasmine ITV News.
>> Hi Jasmine Cameron Cheshi from ITV News.
Um, you touched upon this in your
previous answer that we've seen over the
summer smaller parties like reform
really dominated the political agenda
and helped to shape the the narrative.
What will you be doing to grab the
public's attention?
>> Yeah. Um, reform in fact Nigel Farage
has more Tik Tok followers than every
single MP combined. And so that's a real
challenge to any of us who consider
ourselves on the left or progressive
politics to look at what can we be doing
to raise our social media game to make
sure that our message is cutting
through. I think there's a few things
there. I think for anyone who follows me
on social media can't accuse me of being
shy on social media. I certainly make
sure to get the message out there. But
it's not actually about me. It's about
our counselors. It's about our future
counselors. It's all the people and
communities that I've been talking
about. I really want to make sure that
we're training people, that we're
upskilling them because actually I think
the stories that are really interesting
both to the party but actually to the
wider media and more importantly the
public are those stories we don't hear.
Those stories that are happening in the
north and the Wales where I meet amazing
people all the time who are doing
incredible work and we just don't hear
about it. So I think that's the first
strand is to make sure that we're
encouraging people particularly people
from marginalized backgrounds and
working-class communities to amplify
their voices so their voices can cut
through. I think the second thing is
about storytelling. I think on the left
or in green politics more widely, we
often get lost in spreadsheets and
graphs. Now, spreadsheets and graphs are
really important. I'm being very careful
in this room to say that.
But they don't tell a story and they
don't connect with people emotionally.
If you're just telling an emotional
story that is not connected in science
and truth, you're doing what Farage is
doing. We're never going to do that. We
need to be built in that science, built
in that truth and information, and then
always connect it with a powerful
emotional story, a story that people can
see themselves in. Far too many people
look at politics and go, "I'm not going
to vote. I don't see myself recognized.
You were all just shouting at each
other. It all seems a bit toxic." We
need to turn all of that to hope. But
not just hope as a kind of abstract
idea, but into tangible solutions. And
this isn't an abstract idea because
we're doing it. We're doing it all over
the place in our communities. This is
just about scaling up now. And I'm
really confident we're going to do it.
I've got Peter at the Guardian.
Hi uh Zach, one of the concerns from
people who um uh didn't accurately race
was that your more explicitly leftwing
vision might pile up the votes in urban
areas that could harm the coalition of
voters that the party has painstakingly
built up which has delivered seats like
uh rural suits, you know, where you have
quite a few more soft almost kind of
conservative voters going for you. If
you are able to be linked as a kind of
corporate ally and things like that, how
will you try and persuade those voters
they should still vote for you?
>> Well, first of all, I totally reject the
idea that there's any difference between
people who live in a rural community and
who live in a city in terms of their
basic fundamental values. People are
people and inequality hurts you wherever
you live, whether you live in a town, a
village or a city. So, I think that the
first thing is and the party already
does this I think really successfully is
make sure that we're speaking to that
broad coalition of people. Uh it really
strikes me that in London where I'm
elected uh a young person or someone
who's struggling with rent that's a
power dynamic with an unscrupulous
landlord or can be an unscrupulous
landlord and that's about making sure
we're bringing in rent controls and
looking at fixing a broken housing
market. I'm also really aware when I'm
out campaigning with Ellie and Adrian or
many people in some of the more rural
communities that when I speak to farmers
they're being screwed over by
supermarkets or they're not being paid a
proper wage. We know that subsidies 20
uh 80% of subsidies are going to the 20%
20% of wealthiest farmers. So this is
all about power and inequality and I
think as a party we're speaking widely
to that base. And the second thing is uh
talking to Jeremy Corbyn doesn't mean
necessarily being a Jeremy Corbyn ally.
We are separate parties and I think
parties can actually work together and
not necessarily consider themselves
allies. Now what that future
relationship looks like isn't for me to
determine right now and it won't be for
me to determine in the future. It will
be for our members to determine but I
think uh parties don't need to be
explicitly working together necessarily
to keep working together on policies to
keep putting a vision towards the
country and and to give you an example I
spoke to Jeremy yesterday he's having a
uh Gaza inquiry later on this week now
many of you will remember the Chilcott
inquiry over Iraq Jeremy Corbyn and
various MPs have been supporting the
idea of a Gaza inquiry so a live
streamed inquiry where everyone can see
uh evidence about what is happening. We
don't need to be in the same party for
me to support that. We don't even need
to be allies, quote unquote, for me to
support that. What I see is a politician
who is doing strong principled work that
aligns with the things I care about and
the party cares about. And I think
that's a different and new kind of
politics. And I think that's a politics
that's really going to excite this
country.
Uh could I speak to uh Bansera from
Naked Politics?
>> Ah do you want
>> I can ask you a question.
>> I can come back I can come back to you
if you want to think or you can take
this pressure on. Is that
>> I'm going to ask you a question actually
has come up with regards to the
leadership um election. Not necessarily
so much with yourself. There was quite a
lot of contention around trans rights
and that versus being socially
conservative. It's something that's also
come up with the your party discussions
as well and it looks like something that
could split down the middle quite a lot
of people on the left and so my question
to you I think I know your stance on
trans rights but how are you and I a
party that potentially looks like it
might be somewhat divided already.
>> Thank you. Um I don't think we're
divided. I think we have a really really
strong common cause here which is
tackling the climate crisis.
uh protecting nature and also protecting
people's human rights. Trans rights are
human rights. And I'm really pleased
that as a party uh we have been through
a democratic democratic debate several
times now which I would say has been
very clearly settled in recognizing that
we're a trans-inclusive progressive
party. Now I'm really aware of a quote
that's going around uh New York at the
moment which is if you agree with me on
nine out of 12 things, let's work
together. If you agree with me on 12 out
of 12 things, go see a psychiatrist.
Um, you don't need to agree with me on
everything. There are red lines though,
and we're a broad church party, but
broad churches have walls. And human
rights are one of those walls. And
actually, it's brilliant to quote, in
fact, one of our recently elected deputy
leaders because I love the line that
Martin said about this. He said, "The
same people who hate the LGBT community
are the same people who hate the Muslim
community." I'm also aware of this
moment that it's not insignificant that
the Green Party now has a Jewish leader
of the party and a Muslim deputy leader.
And I'm sure
I know because we've had this
discussion, we absolutely recognize that
anti-semitism and Islamophobia are two
sides of the same coin. And ultimately
when communities ask for solidarity,
including the trans community, the only
response, the only authentic response is
to give that solidarity.
>> I have Aaron at the Express.
Hello Aaron from the Express. Um, you
said during the leadership election that
you wanted to learn lessons from
reformers Nigel Faraj. How do you think
you will do that when the Green Party
appears to be taking a different stance
tackling Britain's largest concern which
is stopping mass immigration?
>> Thank you. Um I suppose the first place
to start is Nigel Faraj's kind of most
common phrase is stop the boats. I also
want to stop the boats. We want to stop
the boats. We could stop the boats today
with safe and legal routes.
This country needs immigration. There,
I've said it. Ultimately, we know we
have all of these vacancies in the
National Health Service. We have an
aging population. We have a birth rate
that is declining. Now, of course, we
can have a conversation about the fact
we do need to train British workers. We
do need to make sure that we're
encouraging the next generation to work
in healthcare, to work in construction,
to work in care of all our jobs. That's
one conversation. But we also need to
recognize right now that people who are
coming over here and migrating over here
are so much more likely to be paying
into our tax system than anything they
are taking out in social security or
welfare. We also need to recognize as I
said earlier that we're a country that
is built on immigration that we should
be proud that our country is strongest
when we see the kind of uh diversity in
our communities and that even when there
is tension between communities that's a
learning moment for all of us. That's a
moment for us to come together and to
work out what is it to be British
because that is always moving. That is
always evolving. And the final thing I'd
say is you often hear an answer to this
question that we kind of acknowledge the
music, the food, and the culture that
migrants bring to us. I don't want to
lean into that though. You don't have to
play some kind of trick to be welcome in
this country. We recognize people's
humanity in this country. And actually,
when you look through proud traditions
in this country, and admittedly,
obviously, we've also had not so proud
traditions. But I think in terms of
being a patriot and that's the biggest
thing we cannot see to Nigel Farage.
Nigel Farage is not a patriot. Patriots
don't hate their country. Patriots don't
sell out to oil and gas companies or to
arms trade companies.
I can tell you what some of the biggest
patriots I do know. They put their name
on the ballot paper. They stand in their
local community even when it's difficult
and even when it's hard. and they make
sure they win because they know the
people in their community deserve
better.
>> And finally, although I am having fun, I
guess I've got enough excuse to say, uh,
Jim from the FT. And don't take that as
a time to stop me having fun.
>> Jard, financial science. Congratulations
on your uh victory. You've been asked
about whether you would work with Jeremy
Corbyn. Would you rule out in a home
parliament situation working with Sir
Kama's Labor Party? And just while I've
got you, you've talked about
nationalizing the water industry. How do
you feel about nationalizing other
industries, utilities, whether it's
energy, steel, dare I say banks, etc.
Thank you. Thank you very much. Um, it
would be wild to rule out working with
anyone at this point. Uh, because I've
only just been elected leader and that's
a decision that the membership will
make. I I'll give my opinion as it is
today with the kind of caveat that
opinions can change as things work on.
In Kama, we've seen someone who got
elected on the coattales of Jeremy
Corbyn who made lots of promises to
protect communities to uh bring about a
left-wing change in this country to
stand up for some of the poorest
communities. And what we've had in K
star is despicable in terms of the
politics. It is someone who has sold
those communities out. He's not just
sold his party out and the people who
voted for him. The people I'm more
concerned about are the people that are
suffering in this country every day. Who
are worried about the future of this
country who see Nigel Farage give and
let's call it what it is a racist press
conference and not just not condemn it
but implicitly nod to it. So I can't
imagine any scenario where I would want
to work with Kama. I think in a scenario
where we were in a hung parliament and
we got that many seats, I think it would
be odd that if that many people had
stopped voting Labor and switched to
green to then work with K star. So I
think you can clearly hear from my
answer how I feel about that. But also
maybe he's going to have a brain
transfusion in the next couple of months
before the um general election. We'll
see that. Um in terms of
nationalization, this is one of those
policies that is so incredibly popular
when you speak to people about it.
Obviously water is the most obvious one.
I will come to your others in a second,
but I want to stop on water in a moment
because Labour seemed to put this in the
too difficult box. I even um asked Sadi
Khan recently, who I hold to account on
the London assembly, if he would
consider as mayor of London having a
place of governance on the board of
Temp's Water. There are so many huger
public institutions where it is so
obvious that you should have democratic
governance. And he said to me that he
didn't want to do anything tokenistic.
Labour are terrified for water
companies. They're terrified of the CEOs
who are taking all of these money and
bonuses. At the same time, the people
who can least afford it because of a
mass inequality in our society where
poor people have got poorer and rich
people have got richer is absolutely
symbolic and toemic of how damaging this
Labor Party's attitude towards these
huge companies are in terms of energy
and in terms of steel. I think steel is
the most obvious one. We saw with
Skunthorp and with Port Taba. In fact, I
was there with Anthony last year or the
year before, just shortly before it
closed down. It was so obvious what was
about to happen. The workers were
saying, "Work with us." Labor seemed
completely absent from that scene,
completely unwilling to work with the
workers to work for a just transition.
And all I mean by just transition is
making sure that we're protecting
workers rights and that we're moving to
tackle the climate crisis. And the
reason why I say steel is the most
obvious is we need the steel for the
wind turbines. We need it for the
railway tracks. We need it for the just
transition. So absolutely, it's a
no-brainer that we need to be
nationalizing our big industries. Thank
you very much.
I just finally with all the gratitude I
have also want to thank Harriet and all
the Green Party staff team for this
election. Thank you very much.
Well, uh, thank you, Zach. And I think
everyone can feel the energy and
excitement here in the room and
throughout, uh, the party as we embark
on this journey with our new leadership.
Um, to let you all know, uh, we have in
an outburst of generosity kept this room
and those two rooms for the whole day.
So, if anybody wants to stay to take
photographs, to have another group hug,
you're very welcome. If you wanted to
have a one-on-one interview and you
haven't booked it in yet, uh Angela and
Steve standing at the two sides would be
happy to help uh organize that for you.
And so, finally then, once again, can I
thank all the candidates who stood in
this exciting contest. I'd like to thank
you all for all you did and in
particular to thank our leadership and
deputy leadership candidates and to
congratulate the winning team once
again. Thank you.