2020 Green Party of England and Wales leadership election

2020 Green Party of England and Wales leadership election
← 2018 3 – 31 August 2020 2021 →
Turnout7,358 (15.4%)
 
Candidate Jonathan Bartley
and Siân Berry 		Rosi Sexton Shahrar Ali
First pref. 3,600 (48.9%) 1,978 (26.9%) 1,735 (23.6%)
Final round 4,238 (57.5%) 2,618 (35.5%) Eliminated
Leaders before election

Jonathan Bartley
and Siân Berry

 Elected leaders

Jonathan Bartley
and Siân Berry

The 2020 Green Party of England and Wales leadership election took place in August 2020 to determine the leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, while an election for the party's deputy leader also took place simultaneously. Jonathan Bartley and Siân Berry, who were elected on a joint ticket in 2018, were re-elected as co-leaders while Amelia Womack was re-elected as the party's deputy leader.

Background

Prior to 2008, the Green Party elected spokespeople called principal speakers instead of leaders. After a rule change, the party adopted a system of electing a leader or co-leaders every two years.[1] If there are two co-leaders, a single deputy will be elected whereas if there is a single leader there are two deputies. In either case, the election is subject to the party's gender-balancing rules.[2][3] The election was held under the instant-runoff voting electoral system, with voters able to select different preferences for each candidate.[4]

Campaign

Leadership

The incumbent co-leaders, Jonathan Bartley and Siân Berry, stood for re-election. Bartley was a Lambeth councillor and Berry was a London Assembly Member and the party's candidate for the 2021 London mayoral election.[5]

Shahrar Ali, the party's home affairs spokesperson who had been one of the party's deputy leaders from 2014 to 2016, ran for the leadership. He had previously run against Bartley and Berry in 2018.[5][6]

One of the party's councillors in Solihull, the mixed martial artist Rosi Sexton, campaigned for the leadership as an "outsider".[5] She said she wanted to focus on the party's electoral strategy and policy development processes.[7]

Deputy leadership

Amelia Womack was first elected as the party's deputy leader in 2014 and was re-elected in each subsequent election.

Cleo Lake, a Bristol councillor for the party since 2016, contested the deputy leadership election saying she wanted to inspire more activists into politics.[8] The writer and campaigner Tom Pashy, Nick Humberstone, and Andrea Carey Fuller also sought election as deputy leader.[9][10][11]

Timeline

June

  • 1 June: Nominations open at 10am[2]
  • 30 June: Nominations close at 12pm[2]

August

  • 3 August: Online voting opens at 10am[2]
  • 31 August: Online voting closes at 10pm[2]

September

  • 9 September: Results announced[12]

Candidates

Leader

Candidate Political office Announced

Shahrar Ali 		Home affairs spokesperson
Deputy leader (2014–2016) 		30 June[6]

Jonathan Bartley
Siân Berry 		Co-leader (2016–2021)
Lambeth Councillor (2018–present) 		Co-leader (2018–2021)
Member of the London Assembly (2016–present)
Camden Councillor (2014–present)
Principal speaker of the Green Party (2006–2007) 		8 June[13]

Rosi Sexton 		Solihull Councillor (2019–present) 28 June[7]

Deputy leader

Candidate Political office Announced
Andrea Carey Fuller 1 July[10]

Nick Humberstone 		Young Greens committee member 10 June[11]

Cleo Lake 		Bristol City Councillor (2016–present) 26 June[8]

Tom Pashby 		29 June[9]

Amelia Womack 		Deputy leader (2014–2022) 17 June[14]

Declined and withdrawn

The former MEPs Alex Phillips and Magid Magid were speculated as potential leadership candidates but chose not to run.[15][16] The former Parliamentary candidate James Booth initially stood as a deputy leadership candidate, but withdrew.[17][18][19]

Results

Leader

Jonathan Bartley and Siân Berry were re-elected as co-leaders in the second round.[20][21]

Candidate First round Second round
Votes % Votes %
Jonathan Bartley and Siân Berry 3,600 48.9% 4,238 57.5%
Rosi Sexton 1,978 26.9% 2,618 35.5%
Shahrar Ali 1,735 23.6% Eliminated
Re-open nominations 45 0.6% Eliminated
Turnout 7,358 15.4%

Deputy leader

Amelia Womack was re-elected as deputy leader in the second round.[21]

Candidate First round Second round
Votes % Votes %
Amelia Womack 3,006 46.5% 3,416 52.8%
Cleo Lake 2,153 33.3% 2,777 42.9%
Andrea Carey Fuller 684 10.6% Eliminated
Tom Pashby 309 4.8% Eliminated
Nick Humberstone 282 4.3% Eliminated
Re-open nominations 25 0.4% Eliminated
Turnout 6,459 13.0%

Aftermath

The turnout was the lowest for one of the party's leadership elections since Natalie Bennett's unopposed re-election in 2014.[5] The re-elected co-leaders, Bartley and Berry, said they wanted to make gains in the upcoming 2021 United Kingdom local elections and promised to make the party the "main opposition" to the Conservative government.[5][22]

References

  1. ^ Walker, Peter (2 July 2020). "Siân Berry and Jonathan Bartley face competition for Green party leadership". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 August 2020. the party prepares for its two-yearly programme selecting its top officials
  2. ^ a b c d e "Young Greens Guide to the 2020 Green Party Internal Elections". Young Greens. Archived from the original on 3 August 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  3. ^ Hill, Raphael (24 July 2020). "The Green Party's leadership gender balancing rules aren't fit for purpose". Bright Green. Retrieved 29 July 2020. The Green Party of England and Wales constitution... read[s] that when one leader was elected the following happens: The post of deputy leader will be held as a job share with two individuals of a different gender... Two members of a different gender may together stand for the office of leader in order to hold the post as a jobshare… In this case a single deputy, the individual who polls the highest vote, regardless of gender, will be elected.
  4. ^ Mortimer, Josiah (9 September 2020). "Green Party leadership team re-elected – but few members turn out". Left Foot Forward. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 20 September 2020. The votes were conducted using a preferential voting system.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Green Party leadership team re-elected – but few members turn out". Left Foot Forward: Leading the UK's progressive debate. 9 September 2020. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  6. ^ a b Jarvis, Chris (30 June 2020). "Shahrar Ali announces Green Party leadership bid". Bright Green. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  7. ^ a b Jarvis, Chris (28 June 2020). "Solihull councillor to stand for Green Party leadership". Bright Green. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  8. ^ a b Jarvis, Chris (26 June 2020). "Cleo Lake to stand for Green Party deputy leadership". Bright Green. Archived from the original on 26 June 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  9. ^ a b Jarvis, Chris (29 June 2020). "Fourth contender for Green Party deputy leadership announces". Bright Green. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  10. ^ a b Jarvis, Chris (1 July 2020). "Fifth candidate for Green Party deputy leader emerges". Bright Green. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  11. ^ a b Jarvis, Chris (10 June 2020). "First candidate announced in the Green Party deputy leadership election". Bright Green. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  12. ^ "Green party re-elects co-leaders Siân Berry and Jonathan Bartley". The Guardian. 9 September 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  13. ^ Mason, Rowena (8 June 2020). "Green party joint leaders to stand again for their roles". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  14. ^ Jarvis, Chris (17 June 2020). "Amelia Womack seeks fourth term as Green Party deputy leader". Bright Green. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  15. ^ Jarvis, Chris (24 May 2020). "Alex Phillips rules herself out of Green Party leadership election". Bright Green. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  16. ^ Jarvis, Chris (14 June 2020). "Green Party leadership election underway". Bright Green. Retrieved 23 June 2020. other prominent figures such as former MEPs Alex Phillips and Magid Magid have ruled themselves out of the contest
  17. ^ "Green Party internal elections candidates announced". Green World. Retrieved 8 August 2020. James Booth (Withdrawn)
  18. ^ "Macclesfield". UK Parliament. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  19. ^ "Macclesfield". BBC News. Archived from the original on 8 August 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  20. ^ "Green Party: Jonathan Bartley and Sian Berry re-elected co-leaders". BBC News. 9 September 2020. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  21. ^ a b "Internal Election Results 2020". Green Party of England and Wales. 9 September 2020. Archived from the original on 16 September 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  22. ^ "Berry and Bartley pledge to make Greens the 'main opposition' after re-election". www.shropshirestar.com. Retrieved 25 August 2021.