News / Politics
Bristol councillor elected as Green Party leader
Carla Denyer made history by instigating Bristol’s climate emergency declaration and has now gone on to be elected co-leader of the Green Party.
The councillor for Clifton Down will take the top job alongside Adrian Ramsay, replacing Sian Berry and Jonathan Bartley who both stood down from the role.
Going into the leadership race, Denyer said she was running on a ticket of putting compassion back into politics and ensuring the party is a “welcoming and inclusive place” that “stands together for human rights and the environment”.
Denyer and Ramsay secured 61.65 per cent of the vote in the final round, beating challengers Amelia Womack, the party’s deputy leader and Tamsin Omond, a founder of Extinction Rebellion.
In a joint statement following their victory at the ballots, Denyer and Ramsay 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.
“We are thrilled to have been elected as Green Party leaders, but this is now where the hard work begins, to elect more MPs and more councillors across the country. It is only by doing this that we can make the difference we all so desperately want to see.
“We are so grateful to all of the members who voted for us at such an important time for our party, the country and the world at large.”
First elected to represent Clifton Down ward in 2016, Denyer went on to propose the motion that saw Bristol City Council unanimously declare a climate emergency in 2018 and pledge to become carbon neutral by 2030.
She stood as a parliamentary candidate in Bristol West in the 2019 General Election, coming in second to Labour’s Thangam Debbonaire and almost doubling the Green Party’s share of the vote.
Denyer gained the support of many across the political spectrum within the city, including Green colleagues.
But the Green politician has faced criticism from Bristol’s Labour mayor Marvin Rees, who last month stated he found the way Denyer does politics is “demoralising”.
Read more: Bristol declares climate emergency and pledges to become carbon neutral by 2030
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