Anthony Slaughter

Anthony Slaughter
Leader of the Wales Green Party
Incumbent
Assumed office
December 2018
Personal details
BornYorkshire, England, UK
Political partyWales Green Party
Residence(s)Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, UK
OccupationPolitician
Websitehttps://wales.greenparty.org.uk/green-party-wales-leader/

Anthony Slaughter is a politician who has been the leader of the Wales Green Party since December 2018.[1] He previously served as Deputy Leader from 2014 to 2015.[2] In 2024 Slaughter was appointed as the President of Wales for Europe.[3] He has previously been a candidate for general, local authority and town council seats.[2] Slaughter regularly appears in the media on behalf of the party to discuss political issues including BBC Radio Wales[4] and S4C.[5]

Personal life

Slaughter was born in Yorkshire and stated in 2021 that he had lived in "Penarth in the Vale of Glamorgan for the last 17 years".[6] He has worked as a garden designer and landscaper.[3] Slaughter has been involved with and was chair of the local community organisation Gwyrddio Penarth Greening, a grassroots community organisation focused on planting and maintenance of the GPG Community Orchard that serves the local community.[7]

Political career and campaigning

In 2017, Slaughter stood in the local authority ward of St Augustine's, a target seat.[2] In the 2019 UK general election, Slaughter stood as the Green candidate in the Vale of Glamorgan UK parliament constituency, coming third, with a 5.9% vote share.[8] The seat was supported by Unite to Remain as part of a coordinated effort with Plaid Cymru and the Liberal Democrats, in the interest of a people's vote for Brexit.[9] Slaughter was also a co-founder of the Vale for Europe campaign group, a Vale of Glamorgan grassroots group that campaigned for a people's vote concerning Brexit.[3]

For the 2021 Senedd election, he stood in the Vale of Glamorgan Senedd constituency, obtaining 2.9% in fifth place.[10] During the 2024 UK general election he stood as the Wales Green Party candidate for Cardiff South and Penarth coming second, increasing his vote share to 14.5%.[11] In September 2024 Slaughter announced "...we will get our first Green elected to the Senedd in 2026" at the Green Party of England and Wales autumn conference in Manchester.[12]

Policies and views

Since the Brexit referendum he has consistently campaigned for Wales to have closer ties with Europe.[3] In 2021, Slaughter joined YesCymru, and supports Welsh independence.[13]

In 2023, Slaughter voiced his support for an "immediate ceasefire in Gaza", condemning the "indiscriminate killing of civilians and collective punishment of a population".[14] Slaughter also supports a tax for the "super-wealthy" to help fund services like the NHS.[15]

In 2024, Slaughter authored a book called Future Wales - A Vision for Green Democracy which pointed 'to the possible ways forward for our country in an uncertain global future.'[16]

References

  1. ^ Mansfield, Mark (23 October 2024). "Anthony Slaughter re-elected as leader of Wales Green Party". Nation.Cymru. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "Anthony Slaughter". Wales Green Party. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d Price, Stephen (6 September 2024). "Wales for Europe appoint Greens leader as President". Nation.Cymru. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  4. ^ "BBC Radio Wales - Sunday Supplement, Senedd Election, legacy trials and US police reform". BBC. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  5. ^ "Y Blaid Werdd yn dweud y bydd gyda nhw aelod yn Senedd Cymru yn 2026". newyddion.s4c.cymru (in Welsh). 13 October 2024. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  6. ^ Mosalski, Ruth (28 March 2021). "Senedd election 2021: Who's standing in the Vale of Glamorgan?". WalesOnline. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
  7. ^ "Anthony Slaughter - Bylines Cymru". bylines.cymru. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  8. ^ "Vale of Glamorgan parliamentary constituency - Election 2019 - BBC News". Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  9. ^ harrietking (9 November 2019). "Vale Of Glamorgan Candidate Picked For Unite To Remain Seat". Wales Green Party. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  10. ^ "Vale of Glamorgan - Welsh Parliament constituency". BBC News. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  11. ^ "Cardiff South and Penarth - General election results 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  12. ^ Jarvis, Chris (7 September 2024). "Anthony Slaughter: "We can, we must, and we will get our first Green elected to the Senedd in 2026."". Bright Green. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  13. ^ NationCymru (1 March 2021). "Wales Green Party leader joins YesCymru". Nation.Cymru. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
  14. ^ Price, Emily (6 November 2023). "Welsh Greenparty leader makes Gaza ceasefire call at conference". Nation.Cymru. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  15. ^ "Wales Green Party want tax on wealthy to boost NHS and education". BBC News. 19 June 2024. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  16. ^ Slaughter, Anthony (2024). "Future Wales - A Vision for Green Democracy". Cardiff, Vale and Valleys Green Party. Retrieved 10 December 2024.