“We are very clear that these are our priorities – our NHS, housing, climate and nature, public services, and the quality of our water.”
The general election is now in full swing, with parties out on the streets and in the media to make their case to voters. Today, the Green Party of England and Wales formally launched their general election campaign in Bristol, where the party’s co-leader Carla Denyer is hoping to become its second ever MP.
Outgoing Green MP Caroline Lucas opened the launch by saying the Greens were carrying out their “most ambitious general election campaign ever”. She went on to say that by getting more Greens elected to parliament, a Labour government would be “pushed to be bolder and braver on everything from housing, to the NHS, to the accelerating climate crisis”.
Denyer and her fellow co-leader Adrian Ramsay spoke at the campaign launch to set out the party’s core campaign messages. Among them were a commitment to build affordable homes, take action on the cost of living crisis, reverse NHS privatisation and clean up rivers and seas.
As well as attacking the Tories’ record in office, the Greens also used their launch to heavily criticise the Labour Party’s policy offer in the election.
Denyer said: “People are disappointed by the way Starmer has backtracked on his promises on green investment, his weak offer on housing, and now we have Wes Streeting telling us that more privatisation of the NHS is a good thing. When the challenges we face are so huge, people tell us they’re disappointed by the lack of ambition from the Labour Party.”
She added: “Across the country, people now have the chance to vote for real hope and real change. Our politics is broken, our public services are on their knees and people are worse off now than when the Conservatives came to power 14 years ago.
“The case for change is obvious, but it has to be real change that offers real hope. Half measures and broken pledges will not do. The Conservatives are clearly on their way out of government, but Labour is failing to offer the real change needed.
“We have the practical solutions to the cost-of-living crisis, building new affordable homes, protecting our NHS from creeping privatisation and cleaning up our toxic rivers and seas.
“That’s why it’s so important that when Labour form the next government, they are pushed beyond the timid change they are offering, pushed to be more ambitious, braver, not to skirt around the edges of the massive crises facing our country, but to actually make real change that benefits people’s lives every day. That’s what Green MPs can do.”
Ramsay echoed many of Denyer’s comments. He told the attendees at the launch event: “After so much damage by the outgoing Conservative government, we need more than a few tweaks from a new Labour government. Green MPs will push the next government for bold action to achieve the real changes that are needed to confront the big challenges that our country faces, and people know that.”
“Over the past five years, we have increased the number of councillors five-fold. From here in Bristol, to councils across Waveney Valley and from Newcastle to Hastings, Greens are on the up. And over the next few weeks, we will build on that success and on 4 July ask voters to elect at least four Green MPs in our target seats and support our candidates standing right across England and Wales.”
He went on to say that the Greens would increase healthcare funding “so that everyone can see an NHS dentist and doctor when they need one”. Denyer then added: “We are very clear that these are our priorities – our NHS, housing, climate and nature, public services, and the quality of our water.”
The Greens are primarily targeting four seats in this general election.
The party is hopeful of holding onto Brighton Pavilion, where Caroline Lucas has stood down as an MP and former party co-leader Sian Berry is hoping to replace her.
The Greens are also hoping to get Denyer elected in Bristol Central. In this year’s local elections, the Greens won every council seat within the constituency and is now running the Council as a minority administration.
Waveney Valley is the seat being contested by Ramsay. The constituency includes some of the Mid Suffolk Council area where the Greens won an overall majority in the 2023 local elections.
Finally, former MEP Ellie Chowns is the Green candidate in North Herefordshire, the party’s fourth target constituency.
Chris Jarvis is head of strategy and development at Left Foot Forward
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