As the Green Party co-leader announces she's standing down this summer, here's some highlights from her time at the helm.

Since September 2016, Caroline Lucas has co-led the Green Party of England & Wales. It’s been quite the ride. 

Lucas – alongside co-leader Jonathan Bartley – has helped ensure the Green Party overtook UKIP as England’s fourth party, leading to the Greens’ biggest haul of councillors in this May’s local elections.

The Brighton Pavilion MP told Left Foot Forward at the time that the success stemmed from a “real desire to have some strong independent voices – particularly on these councils with one party states.”

But it is also arguably down to her success in carving a niche for the party – on everything from democracy to the environment and energy – during a time that Labour has shifted to the left.

As one of the most recognisable (and liked) left-wing figures in the UK, Lucas has helped move the debate forward on a whole range of issues – putting previously ‘radical’ ideas on the national agenda.

To pay tribute to her efforts, let’s look at some highlights from her time as co-leader.

1. Showing up Theresa May for not turning up to the General Election debate

2. Putting drug law reform on the national agenda

At the party’s spring conference this March, Lucas did what other parties refuse to do – and tackled the need for progressive drug laws in the UK.

Lucas – a member of Parliament’s All Party Group for Drug Policy Reform – said “We need to recognise the reality that the so-called ‘war on drugs’ has failed – and start dealing with drugs differently.”

The leader has been piling pressure on Labour to talk sense when it comes to the unregulated drug crisis in the UK – and the need for a rational, evidenced-based approach to legislation.

3. Taking down Amber Rudd on arms sales in the leaders debates – and winning

During last year’s TV election debates, Lucas told then Home Secretary Amber Rudd that she does not know ‘how she sleeps at night’ given the level of arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

“Why is Britain the second biggest arms dealer in the world?” Caroline Lucas asks Amber Rudd #BBCDebate pic.twitter.com/kMkff7n6vD

— BBC Newsnight (@BBCNewsnight) May 31, 2017

4. Showing up right-wing troll Katie Hopkins on Twitter

When the protests were kicking off over Donald Trump’s state visit, Hopkins decided to use her Mail Online column to attack those who took part in the demonstrations in London.

The right-winger decided to rant at Green MP, who spoke at the demonstration, writing: “Happily, Caroline Lucas was on hand to speak for Vegan Matters and the lesbians of Brighton…She wished to deny Trump a visit to the UK because of his denial of basic climate science.”

Though Hopkins’ tweet has since been deleted (funny, that), Lucas’ reply went viral:

5. Battling anti-feminist Tories on the BBC

Philip Davies, a Tory MP who has railed against ‘feminist zealots’, launched a bid to scrap ‘Women’ from the Women & Equalities Select Committee in 2016.

Caroline Lucas was having none of it – and took him on in a scathing televised put-down:

6. Being one of the sole voices pushing a left-wing case for Remaining in the EU – and freedom of movement

Lucas was a key part of the Greens’ Remain campaign – as well as Another Europe is Possible – while the official Remain camp were dominated by many of the same middle-aged, male elites people had grown tired of.

But while Remainers were ducking the issue of freedom of movement, it was left to Caroline Lucas to promote the ability to ‘live, love, work and study’ across the EU. In a piece for politics.co.uk, she wrote:

“Freedom of movement isn’t just good for our economy, it benefits our communities too. Indeed the Green party believes that being able to live, love, work and study across 27 different countries is a wonderful gift – and that people who come here to make a life enrich our society.

“It seems to me to be a real tragedy that young people will be denied this right – and that both Labour and the Tories are willing to sacrifice our economy by yanking us out of the single market, simply so they can say they will end freedom of movement.”

7. Calling Trump a ‘racist bigot’ on live TV

When 1.3m people signed a petition calling on the government to cancel Donald Trump’s state visit, it was Caroline Lucas who pointed out the PM is ‘so worried about being friendless after Brexit that she will accept any kind of relationship with any kind of bigot around the world.’ Watch it here:

8. And let’s not forget – promoting the very idea of ‘job sharing’ in politics

In 2016, Lucas and Bartley became the first official co-leaders of a major British party. In doing so, they started a positive debate about equality in politics – and steps to close the gender gap.

As she said when launching the Fawcett Society’s campaign on the need for job-sharing MPs:

“Job-sharing MPs could keep their caring responsibilities, they could keep voluntary work, they could continue part-time in their profession…

“It would help more women into politics, more disabled people and more people for whom being an MP is currently unimaginable and inaccessible.”

All this on top of popularising the idea of a four day working week, building cross-party support for a Universal Basic Income, and putting tribalism aside to encourage progressive parties to work together. It’s quite the CV.

Caroline Lucas’ outgoing spokesperson, Matthew Butcher, summed her up in a nutshell, telling Left Foot Forward:

“She quite genuinely the most inspirational person I’ve ever met. Forensic, passionate, extraordinarily clever. [She’s] seriously just a f****ing ridiculously good boss.”

There’s little higher praise than that.

Caroline – we salute you.

Josiah Mortimer is Editor of Left Foot Forward. Follow him on Twitter.

LFF will be covering the leadership contest as it unfolds over the summer…

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