2016 Green Party of England and Wales leadership election

none August 2021 August 2021 2016 Green Party of England and Wales leadership election presidential no 15,773 (29.8%) 4.3 pp 2014 Green Party of England and Wales leadership election 2014 2018 Green Party of England and Wales leadership election 2018 5 July – 2 September 2016 Lucas and bartley co-leaders (cropped).png 160x160px Jonathan Bartley and Caroline Lucas 13,570 86.0% David Malone, 2016 (cropped).jpg 160x160px David Malone 956 6.1% Leader Elected Leaders Natalie Bennett Jonathan Bartley & Caroline Lucas The 2016 Green Party of England and Wales leadership election took place from July to August 2016 to select a leader of the Green Party of England and Wales. The incumbent leader, Natalie Bennett, announced in May 2016 that she was not going to stand for re-election. The election was won by a joint platform of the party's former leader and only MP Caroline Lucas, with the party's work and pensions spokesperson Jonathan Bartley. At the same time, Amelia Womack was re-elected as deputy leader. Background Prior to 2008, the party had elected spokespeople called principal speakers instead of an elected leadership. Caroline Lucas, then an MEP for South East England, was elected as the first leader of party in 2008 following a rule change. In the new system, it was mandated that there would be leadership elections every two years.https://my.greenparty.org.uk/sites/my.greenparty.org.uk/files/constitution_after_Autumn2015.docx Constitution of the Green Party as agreed at Autumn Conference 2015 2016-08-16 https://web.archive.org/web/20161021151529/https://my.greenparty.org.uk/sites/my.greenparty.org.uk/files/constitution_after_Autumn2015.docx 2016-10-21 dead Lucas was elected as the first Green Party MP, for the constituency of Brighton Pavilion in 2010, and in the same year she was re-elected unopposed as leader. In 2012, she announced she would not be seeking re-election because "I want to give other people the opportunity to get well known, to have some profile in the party, hopefully to use that to get themselves elected as well."Green Party leader Lucas not seeking re-election https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-18054725 18 May 2016 BBC News 13 May 2012 In the 2012 leadership election, Natalie Bennett, a journalist for The Guardian, was elected to succeed Lucas as party leader. She was re-elected unopposed in the 2014 leadership election and led the party in the 2015 general election. At the general election, the Green Party's vote share increased from 1.0% to 3.8%, but they did not win any additional seats.Walker Peter Green vote increases four-fold, but Caroline Lucas remains party's only MP https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/may/08/green-party-vote-increases-caroline-lucas 18 May 2016 The Guardian 8 May 2015 Following the 2016 local elections, in which the Green Party lost four local councillors but came third in the London Assembly and in the London mayoral election, Bennett defended her record as leader.Greens' Natalie Bennett defends leadership after elections https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2016-36229807 18 May 2016 BBC News 7 May 2016 On 15 May 2016, Bennett announced she would not be seeking re-election, saying: "There have been times when I got things right, and times when I got things wrong, but that’s because I'm not a smooth, spin-trained, lifelong politician."Stewart Heather 15 May 2016 Natalie Bennett to step down as Green party leader The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/may/15/natalie-bennett-to-step-down-as-green-party-leader 18 May 2016Brown John Murray Pickard Jim Natalie Bennett resigns as Green party leader https://next.ft.com/content/8d7288ae-1b2f-11e6-a7bc-ee846770ec15 18 May 2016 Financial Times 16 May 2016 Procedure According to the Green Party's constitution, candidates must have been members of the party for three years or more at the close of nominations, and need to have signatures supporting their nomination from a minimum of twenty other party members. Elections are constitutionally mandated to take place every two years by a postal ballot of all members. The constitution states that nominations for leadership will be open from 10:00 on the first week-day in June until noon on the last week-day in June. Polls will close either after the last mail delivery on the last week-day of August, or five week-days before Autumn Conference starts, whichever is sooner. The party elects a leader and two deputy leaders, or two co-leaders and a single deputy leader.Archived copy https://my.greenparty.org.uk/sites/my.greenparty.org.uk/files/constitution_after_Autumn2015.docx dead https://web.archive.org/web/20161021151529/https://my.greenparty.org.uk/sites/my.greenparty.org.uk/files/constitution_after_Autumn2015.docx 2016-10-21 2016-08-16 Several other executive positions were also chosen. Re-open nominations (RON) is included as a voting option.title 2016-07-06 Green Leadership Election: Whose Likely to Lead Us Well? http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/aimee-challenor/green-party-leader_b_10774944.html Huffingtonpost.co.uk 2016-08-17 Votes are counted according to single transferable vote and alternative vote, as appropriate. Timetable On 20 May 2016, the party announced a provisional timetable for both the leadership and deputy leadership elections.20 May 2016 Nominations for Green Party Leadership elections to open on 1 June 2016 https://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2016/05/20/nominations-for-green-party-leadership-elections-to-open-on-1-june-2016/ Green Party 2 June 2016 Further details were announced on 27 May 2016.27 May 2016 Green Party launches 2016 Leadership and Executive Elections website https://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2016/05/27/green-party-launches-2016-leadership-and-executive-elections-website/ Green Party 2 June 2016 On 29 June 2016 it was announced that the close of nominations would be postponed from 12:00 to 22:00 on 30 June due to a technical problem.Election of the Green Party Executive 2016 https://secure.ersvotes.com/V2-4-0/(S(d86abe21-facf-41de-8de6-ae74ea074f80AMImwsAAAAAAAA=E9ELMsgC2UJhESR3HQb))/Resources/Attachments/g1909/Regulations-2016-Erratum-2.pdf 1 June 2016 (10:00) – Nominations open 30 June 2016 (22:00) – Nominations close 1 July 2016 – Campaign period begins 24 July 2016 – Campaign period ends 25 July 2016 – One month balloting period begins 25 August 2016 – Balloting period ends 2 September 2016 – Autumn Conference begins in Birmingham; results are announced 4 September 2016 – Autumn Conference ends Campaign Leadership Caroline Lucas, who had been the party's first leader, announced that she was running on a joint ticket with the party's work and pensions spokesperson Jonathan Bartley. Bartley founded the think tank Ekklesia in 2002 and had run as a Green Party candidate since 2012.Sparrow Andrew 2016-09-02 Caroline Lucas and Jonathan Bartley elected Green party co-leaders – as it happened en-GB The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/live/2016/sep/02/green-party-conference-leader-lucas?page=with%3Ablock-57c837f5e4b09a68e9b64cbb 2021-08-24 0261-3077 They campaigned on a platform of seeking a progressive alliance with other left-wing parties to achieve electoral reform.https://www.opendemocracy.net/uk/josiah-mortimer/green-party-leadership-race-doesn-t-have-to-be-coronation The Green Party leadership race doesn't have to be a 'coronation' openDemocracy 2016-06-01 2016-08-15 Matt Townsend, a party executive member, expressed concern that Lucas's early entry into the contest would lead it to become a "coronation", as did other party commentators.Matt Townsend 2016-06-04 Green Party leadership election: a stitch up? https://www.opendemocracy.net/uk/matt-townsend/green-party-leadership-election-stitch-up openDemocracy 2016-08-152016-09-02 Caroline Lucas and Jonathan Bartley elected Green party joint leaders https://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/live/2016/sep/02/green-party-conference-leader-lucas The Guardian 2016-09-02 He said that Lucas's candidacy would mean other plausible candidates would choose not to run. The activist Simon Cross ran on a platform of increasing taxes progressively. Clive Lord was a longstanding activist who had joined the PEOPLE Party, a direct predecessor of the Green Party, in 1973. He said he was running because Andrew Cooper wasn't. He criticised proposals for a progressive alliance, noting the rejection of the idea by the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.2016-09-02 Greens to announce leader with return of Caroline Lucas expected http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/sep/02/green-party-announce-leader-caroline-lucass-return-expected-conference 2021-08-24 The Guardian enhttps://clivelord.wordpress.com/2016/08/07/my-leader-bid-post-corbyn-re-progressive-alliance MY GREEN LEADER BID POST CORBYN'S "NO" TO PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE 7 August 2016 Clive Lord clivelord.wordpress.com live https://web.archive.org/web/20190329025156/https://clivelord.wordpress.com/2016/08/07/my-leader-bid-post-corbyn-re-progressive-alliance/ 29 March 2019 David Malone, a documentary maker, ran on a platform of increasing the party's emphasis on economics. Martie Warin, a parish councillor for the party, described himself as an ecosocialist and advocated improving the party's links with trades unions. David Williams was a former Labour councillor who had defected to the Green Party who was the leader of the Green group on Oxfordshire County Council. He said he supported Lucas but wanted to avoid a coronation. Deputy leadership The party's incumbent deputy leaders, Shahrar Ali and Amelia Womack both sought re-election. Ali was an academic who focused his campaign on accountability and his skill at public speaking. Womack was the party's culture, media and sport spokesperson seen as on the party's "pragmatic left".2016-08-16 Who Are The Green Party's Deputy Leadership Candidates? https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/josiah-mortimer/green-party-candidates_b_11523488.html 2021-08-24 HuffPost UK en Kat Boettge was a town councillor and former chair of the East Midlands Green Party who said her migrant background would "send a powerful message" following the UK's vote to leave the European Union. Alan Borgars ran opposing the prospect of a progressive alliance with other parties. Andrew Cooper was a councillor who had served since 1999. He was seen as more environmentally focused than other candidates. Störm Poorun advocated the party becoming more diverse, and the Bristol City Councillor Daniella Radice cited her experience as a former deputy mayor. Candidates Leadership candidates Candidate Political office 100pxJonathan Bartley 100pxCaroline Lucas Work and pensions spokesperson MP for Brighton Pavilion (since 2010)Leader of the Green Party (2008–2012) Simon Cross 1 100px Clive Lord 100px David Malone David Malone (independent filmmaker) Martie Warin 1 Easington parish councillor David Williams 1 Oxfordshire County Councillor (2012–2021) Oxford City Councillor (2006–2014) Deputy leadership candidates Candidate Political office 100pxShahrar Ali Home affairs spokespersonDeputy leader (2014–2016) Kat Boettge 1 100pxAlan Borgars 1Andrew Cooper 1 Energy spokespersonKirklees Councillor (1999–present) 100px Störm Poorun 1 100pxAmelia Womack Deputy leader (2014–2016) Result thumb|400x400px|Lucas and Bartley after the results were declared. Jonathan Bartley and Caroline Lucas won the leadership contest with 86.0% of first preference votes, on an increased turnout from the previous leadership election and the previous contested leadership election.http://bright-green.org/2016/08/23/record-numbers-vote-in-green-leadership-contest/ Record numbers vote in Green leadership contest Bright Green 2016-08-23 2016-09-02 Womack was re-elected as deputy leader. The two said the joint election showed the party was "not bound by tradition". The party says co-leadership is "a first in Westminster politics". Amelia Womack was elected as sole deputy leader. Leader Candidate Votes % Jonathan Bartley and Caroline Lucas 13,570 86.0 6AB023 86.9% David Malone 956 6.1 6AB023 6.1% David Williams 527 3.3 6AB023 3.3% Re-open nominations 306 1.9 6AB023 1.9% Clive Lord 173 1.1 6AB023 1.1% Martie Warin 133 0.8 6AB023 0.8% Simon Cross 108 0.7 6AB023 0.7% Turnout 15,773 29.8% Deputy leader CandidateFirst roundSecond roundThird roundFourth roundVotes%Votes%Votes%Votes% Amelia Womack 4,742 41.8% 4,882 43.7% 5,231 47.5% 6,063 57.1% Andrew Cooper 1,778 15.7% 1,859 16.7% 1,979 18.0% 2,308 21.7% Shahrar Ali 1,716 15.1% 1,820 16.3% 1,948 17.7% 2,244 21.1% Kat Boettge 1,510 13.3% 1,623 14.5% 1,845 16.8 colspan="2" Eliminated Daniella Radice 924 8.2% 983 8.8% colspan="4" Eliminated Störm Poorun 445 3.9% colspan="6" Eliminated Alan Borgars 179 1.6% colspan="6" Eliminated Re-open nominations 44 0.4% colspan="6" Eliminated Aftermath Caroline Lucas thanked Natalie Bennett and said the party had "reached more people than ever before" under her leadership. The co-leaders said their joint election showed "the power of working together and the importance of striking a healthy balance between work and family and other commitments".https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-37251361 Green Party: Caroline Lucas and Jonathan Bartley elected as co-leaders 2016-09-02 BBC News 2017-03-26 en-GB Lucas told the BBC later that the job-share sent a political message about "doing politics differently" but it had also been "a very practical decision". In an acceptance speech delivered together, Lucas and Bartley called for the Greens to form "progressive alliances" with like-minded parties. Lucas has previously floated the idea of a loose electoral pact with other parties on the left of British politics, including Labour, which would see them give Green candidates a clear run in constituencies where they were best placed to challenge the Conservatives and vice versa.https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/labour-leadership-contest-caroline-lucas-proposes-electoral-pact-with-jeremy-corbyn-10470043.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/labour-leadership-contest-caroline-lucas-proposes-electoral-pact-with-jeremy-corbyn-10470043.html 1 May 2022 subscription live Green Party offers an electoral pact to a Jeremy Corbyn-led Labour 2015-08-24 The Independent 2017-03-26 en-GB Bartley said the current first-past-the-post voting system for general elections was "redundant" and it was wrong that while more than a million people in England and Wales voted Green in 2015, it only had one MP, "we are resolute in wanting to explore the potential for progressive alliances with other parties that will deliver fair votes and will deliver more elected Greens that ever before". See also 2016 Conservative Party leadership election 2016 Labour Party leadership election (UK) UK Independence Party leadership election, 2016 External links Leadership candidates' official campaign sites Jonathan Bartley/Caroline Lucas Clive Lord Martie Warin David Williams Deputy leadership candidates' official campaign sites Daniella Radice Amelia WomackSeptember 2019 InternetArchiveBot yes References Category:Green Party of England and Wales leadership elections Category:2016 political party leadership elections in the United Kingdom