There's contests for leader, deputy leader and other positions on the party's executive.

This article was originally published on the Bright Green website. It is re-produced here with permission.

Nominations have now closed for the Green Party of England and Wales internal elections. And today, the full list of candidates for the positions have been revealed.

This year, members will be voting for eleven members of the Green Party Executive (GPEx) – including the leader and deputy leader. They’ll also be deciding who will be put forward for the House of Lords if the party is asked to appoint a third member.

With the party’s membership growing, the number of candidates this year is unconventionally high. Previous years have seen multiple posts go uncontested.

Here’s the full run down of the candidates:

Leader or co-leaders

Current co-leaders Jonathan Bartley and Sian Berry are standing for re-election to their roles. The pair have been co-leaders since 2018, with Bartley having previously served with Green MP Caroline Lucas from 2016-18. Bartley is a councillor in Lambeth, while Berry is a London Assembly member and is the party’s candidate for London Mayor in the delayed 2021 election.

Former deputy leader Shahrar Ali is standing for the leadership of the party this year. This isn’t his first bid for the leadership. He stood for the leadership in 2018, polling 17.5% of the vote, losing out to Bartley and Berry. Ali is currently the home affairs spokesperson for the Green Party.

Finally, Rosemary Sexton – a councillor in Solihull. Sexton first came to fame as a mixed martial artists, becoming the first British woman to fight in the UFC. Sexton is the Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council Green group spokesperson for adult social care and health.

Deputy Leader

There’s a bumper crop of candidates for the deputy leadership this year, with six people vying for the role.

Current deputy leader Amelia Womack is seeking a fourth term as deputy. Womack was first elected in 2014, and is the lead candidate for the Green Party in the South Wales East region in the 2021 Welsh Parliament elections.

The second prominent candidate is Cleo Lake. She’s the former lord mayor of Bristol, and has been a councillor since 2016. She was also second on the party’s list for the 2019 European elections in South West England.

Green activist and writer Tom Pashby is also taking a shot at the deputy leadership. Pashby previously served on GPEx as internal communications coordinator, in addition to a previous stint on the Young Greens executive.

Lewisham based Andrea Carey Fuller announced she was standing for the deputy leadership yesterday with an interview with the London Green Left blog. Fuller stood for the Greens in December’s general election.

London Green Party member Nick Humberstone was the first to announce he was standing for the deputy leadership. He currently sits on the Young Greens structures and procedures committee.

And finally, James Booth – who stood for the Green Party in Macclesfield in both the 2017 and 2019 general elections is also standing for the position.

The Green Party’s rules state that if a single leader is elected, there shall be two deputy leaders, whereas if a co-leadership team are elected, there shall be only one deputy.

House of Lords

Four candidates have put their names forward for the House of Lords ballot. They are:

• Former MEP Molly Scott Cato
• Kirklees councillor Andrew Cooper
• Former Norwich councillor Rupert Read
• Current deputy leader Amelia Womack

Campaigns Co-Ordinator

The three candidates for campaigns coordinator are:

• Huntingdon based Daniel Laycock
• Current GPEx campaigns coordinator Britta Goodman
• Former Young Greens co-chair Hannah Graham

Chair

The four candidates for GPEx chair are:

• South West Green Part coordinator Ewan Jones
• The job share team of Ashley Routh & Benjamin Smith. Routh is a Green Party activist from Sheffield, and Smith is a former deputy leader of the Wales Green Party
• Green Party Regional Council secretary Adrian Spurrell
• Current GPEx chair Liz Reason

Elections Co-Ordinator

The four candidates for elections coordinator are:

• The job share team of Kai Taylor & Claire Stephenson. Taylor is a councillor in Knowsley. Stephenson is a journalist and Green Party activist in Lancashire.
• Bristol Green Party activist Louis Williams
• Current GPEx management coordinator Zoe Nicholson
• The job share team of Laurie Needham & Joe Levy. Needham is a councillor in Leicester. Levy is Green Party activist in Exeter.

External Communications Co-Ordinator

The two candidates for external communications coordinator are:

• Green Party Regional Council veteran Peter Underwood
• Former Green MEP Molly Scott Cato

International Co-Ordinator

The four candidates for international coordinator are:

• The job share team of Alice Hubbard & Sam Murray. Hubbard is currently serving as GPEx international coordinator. Murray is a former Young Greens co-chair.
• The job share team of Alex Horn & Erwin Schaefer. Horn is treasurer of Greens of Colour. Schaefer previously served on the Green MEP advisory board.
• 2019 Doncaster Central candidate Frank Sheridan
• Former GPEx equality and diversity coordinator Claudine Letsae

Management Co-Ordinator

The two candidates for management coordinator are:

• Former Norfolk County Councillor Richard Bearman
• The job share team of Matthew Browne & Florence Pollock. Browne is a former Green Party staff member. Pollock is a former co-chair of the Young Greens senate.

Policy Development Co-Ordinator

The four candidates for policy development coordinator are:

• Former Young Greens co-chair Liam McClelland
• The job share team of Peter Sims & Sam Alston. Sims stood for the Greens in the 2017 general election in High Wycombe. Alston is a former co-chair of the South East Young Greens.
• 2019 and 2017 general election candidate Mick Gregg.
• 2015, 2017 and 2019 Isle of Wight general election candidate Vix Lowthion.

Publications Co-Ordinator

The three candidates for publications coordinator are:

• Former GPEx internal communications coordinator Jack Lenox
• Former Young Greens senate co-chair Daniel Keeling
• Big Green Politics Podcast co-host Julia Lagoutte

Trade Union Liaison Officer

The three candidates for trade liaison officer are:

• Birmingham Green Party activist Kefenste Dennis
• The job share team of Matthew Hull & Paul Valentine. Hull is currently treasurer of the Young Greens. Valentine is currently GPEx trade union liaison officer.
• Folk musician and twice candidate for Somerton and Frome Theo Simon

Members will vote for these positions throughout August.

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