Green party in England and Wales unveils new leadership duo

Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay have been elected as the new leaders of the Greens in England and Wales, following a closely fought campaign billed as ushering in a new era for the party.

Denyer, a Bristol city councillor, and Ramsay, a former deputy leader, were unveiled as successors to Jonathan Bartley and Siân Berry at an event in London on Friday morning.

The new leaders take over at a potentially crucial moment for the party, as it tries to build on healthy local election results and national polling giving it as much as 9% support, above the Liberal Democrats.

Denyer and Ramsay were seen as arguably the more establishment pairing of those in the running for the leadership posts. The pair were backed by Caroline Lucas, the Greens’ sole MP, while Denyer is seen as a possible bet to follow her into parliament in the Bristol West seat.

The election had been predicted to be a close battle between them and another duo, Amelia Womack and Tamsin Omond, and it proved the case. Once second choice votes were counted, the victors took 6,273 votes, while Womack and Omond won 5,088.

The leadership battle, only a year since the last contest, came after Berry and Bartley both decided to step down, after three years in the role for the former and five for the latter, who initially was co-leader alongside Lucas.

The other candidates were defeated in the first round – another pairing, Martin Hemingway and Tina Rothery, and two individual candidates, Shahrar Ali and Ashley Gunstock.

Ali, whose promotion to the Green frontbench prompted the decision by Berry to step down and whose views have been called transphobic by some party members, came third in the first round, winning 21% of the votes.

In contrast to the winners, Womack and Omond’s candidacy had been viewed as geared more towards the priorities of younger, more recent members, with Omond having co-founded Extinction Rebellion.

Denyer, a councillor in Bristol, said: “We are at a crucial moment in history and it is clear that the other major political parties have failed to bring about the change that is necessary. More than ever before, it is vital that Green policies are adopted for the benefit of our climate and our communities.”

Ramsay said: “Our country is in crisis – pumps running out of petrol, empty shelves in supermarkets and millions heading into winter fearing rising fuel bills. All worsened by our society’s addiction to fossil fuels.

“More than ever, we need strong Green voices to make the compelling case for a Green transition, a just transition.”