Green Party congratulates returning Leader Natalie Bennett and welcomes new Deputy Leaders Amelia Womack and Shahrar Ali

2 September 2014

The Green Party have today announced that Natalie Bennett has been returned as Leader with Amelia Womack and Shahrar Ali as the two Deputy Leaders.

Green Party Leader, Natalie Bennett, said:

“I am honoured by the trust placed in me by Green Party in re-electing me unopposed as Leader and look forward to taking us forward to 2015 elections. It’s a hugely exciting time to be in politics and with more voters searching for an alternative to “business as usual” politics, the Green Party are in a strong position to build on our fast-growing party membership and increasing number of elected representatives.

"I look forward to working with Amelia and Shahrar. As a team we will look, sound and be different to the other party leaderships - reflecting the Green Party promise of a politics that works for the common good, not just for the few.

"I thank outgoing deputy leader Cllr Will Duckworth for all of his hard work over the past two years and congratulate everyone in the strong field of deputy leadership candidates for offering party members such a strong, healthy choice in the election."

Deputy Leader, Amelia Womack, is a member of the Young Greens’ 30 Under 30 programme to develop young activists and candidates. The 29-year-old is originally from Newport in Wales and now lives in Lambeth in South London, where she was a European Parliament and Borough Council candidate earlier this year.

Amelia commented: "I am delighted to have been elected as Deputy Leader of the Green Party to give an even stronger voice for young people at a time when so many of us are feeling that the main parties are happy to sell our futures down the line to protect the interests of big business and the rich. Polling last week found that a record 18% of young people would vote Green, and Green Party membership of young people has grown phenomenally by over 70% since the start of the year. The Green Party is the only party that takes our future seriously, with policies to raise the minimum wage to a living wage, tackle spiralling inequality, and offer free higher education so that every young person can get a strong start in life

Deputy Leader Dr Shahrar Ali trained as a biochemical engineer then as a philosopher. He entered green politics after working as a researcher in the European Parliament on the risk of GM foods. He is author of Why Vote Green, and impassioned call for environmental action in the 21st century

Deputy Leader Shahrar Ali said, "I am honoured and thrilled at being given the opportunity to play a leading role in advancing Green politics nationally. Ours is the only politics worthy of the cause. We must take active responsibility for our stewardship of the planet for the sake of our children, our children’s children and nonhuman animals, too. We must look after the most vulnerable and impoverished in society first, instead of protecting big bank crooks. Greens are on a mission to improve quality of life without costing the earth, coming to a ballot box near you!”





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