Left Foot Forward reported live from Green Party conference

Members of the Green Party of England and Wales descended on Brighton for their autumn conference this weekend. The unseasonably hot October weather was perhaps an apt backdrop for a party best known for its commitment to tackling the climate emergency.

But while the climate crisis was high up on the list of issues discussed, there were plenty of other focuses for members too. Left Foot Forward reported on the big developments from the conference floor, and as a result, we’ve run down the five big things we learnt.

1. The Greens have fully pivoted to focus on the next general election

Recent Green Party conferences have been dominated by chatter about local councils – and with good reason. The Greens have achieved unprecedented success in the last four years of local elections. With records smashed year on year, there are now over 700 Green councillors across the country, with Greens in administration on more than 30 local authorities.

By contrast, the Green Party’s performance in general elections has stagnated. Since getting their first MP elected in 2010, the Greens have never managed to sufficiently build on that success in order to win more seats in parliament. As a result, Caroline Lucas has remained the lone Green Party voice in the House of Commons.

The party is now hellbent on changing that, and this message was clear throughout the conference. From the first moment members and journalists walked through the doors of the conference centre, they were greeted by a giant vinyl banner adorned with four smiley faces. – those of Sian Berry, Carla Denyer, Adrian Ramsay and Ellie Chowns – the four people the Greens are hoping to get elected to parliament at the next general election. Strolling around the venue were staff members clutching card readers and imploring members to make a donation to finance their campaigns. And almost every time the party’s leading figures opened their mouths – in speeches, in media interviews, even in chit chat with members – the party’s ambition to quadruple its parliamentary representation came out.

It remains unclear whether this is hubristic and poor expectation management, or whether instead it is a sign of a party set to make historic breakthroughs. One way or the other, that question will be answered within the next 16 months.

2. The Greens are intent on standing a full slate of candidates at the next election

Where the Greens will be focusing their resources isn’t the only thing we learnt about the party’s strategy at the next election. Alongside this, the conference made clear that the appetite for electoral pacts with other parties in order to keep the Tories out is well and truly gone.

On Saturday, Green Party members voted by a substantial margin for a motion backed by the party’s leadership team which will enable the party’s executive to force local parties to select parliamentary candidates. This is with a view to ensure the Green Party stands a full slate of candidates across England and Wales at the next general election.

While the motion did not explicitly rule out electoral alliances, the impact of it is that local parties will be prevented from entering agreements with other parties in a disaggregated way. In arguing in favour of the motion, leading figures in the party also made clear that they believe that any alliance must be nationally agreed and the likelihood of one being agreed is incredibly low.

This is a fairly significant shift for the Greens. The party has never before stood a full slate of candidates in a parliamentary election. In previous election years, the Greens have been the biggest advocates for the ‘progressive alliance’ approach to removing the Tories from office. And the party has previously protected the autonomy of local parties with some gusto.

3. Post-election cooperation with Labour is not off the table

Current polling indicates Labour are on track for a substantial majority – even a landslide – at the next election. It is not, however, outside the realms of possibility that the opinion polls could narrow between now and polling day. If Keir Starmer’s party doesn’t make it to the magic number needed to secure a majority, there could be a scramble of negotiations with other parties in order to form a government.

In Brighton, it became clear that the Greens are open to the possibility of working with Labour in that event.

Sian Berry – the Greens’ former leader and the party’s new candidate for Brighton Pavilion – told Left Foot Forward that while she would advise against entering a coalition, she would consider a confidence and supply arrangement with Labour. Green Party deputy leader Zack Polanski, meanwhile, told a fringe meeting that proportional representation would be a ‘red line’ in any discussions after the next election. The party’s co-leader Carla Denyer agreed, adding that she would also be looking to secure meaningful action on the climate crisis.

All of this indicates that while the Greens may be abandoning the strategy of seeking to work with Labour to get the Tories out in the election, they are very much open to working with Labour after the election.

4. The Greens continue to adopt radical policies

Looking across Europe, there has been a tendency for Green Parties to moderate their politics the closer they get to the mainstream. Left wing critics of Greens often point to countries like Ireland and Germany to argue that as they move towards either bigger electoral success or – in some instances – government, they jettison their radicalism.

Yet, despite the Green Party of England and Wales’ improved election performances and ambition to win more representation, the party has continued to endorse radical proposals for the country.

That was true this weekend, as party members formally adopted a policy to support the introduction of a four day working week – something which the Greens had hinted at backing previously but hadn’t put into their policy book. This came alongside a string of policy positions foregrounded in keynote speeches – from public ownership of public services to reparations for slavery – indicating that the Greens are far from keen to abandon their radicalism just yet.

5. The Green Party has a widening pool of talent

Not much more than a decade ago, the Green Party was often perceived by the press and the public as a one-person operation. The party was largely synonymous with the ubiquitous Caroline Lucas.

Not so today. Lucas obviously remained a major presence at this year’s conference, but other figures are well and truly at the fore – and there is a clearly widening pool of talent.

Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay gave by far their best conference performance since becoming co-leaders, with their speech creating an almost electric atmosphere in the room. Denyer appeared far more relaxed than in her previous set piece speeches, allowing herself to engage in more improvisation and letting more of her personality shine through.

Zack Polanski impressed attendees with a rousing speech delivered entirely without notes, which weaved a narrative that build throughout.

The leaders were assisted with a supporting cast of characters who added to this growing sense of professionalism within the party. Away from the conference hall, fringe meetings saw impressive contributions from party spokespeople and parliamentary candidates. Left Foot Forward spoke to councillors now in administration in local authorities across England about their achievements, and there was a clear indication that there is a new generation of very serious figures emerging throughout the country.

All of this indicates that the Green Party is a wholly different operation than it was as recently as the early 2010s. It is a party with a growing presence in different levels of government. It is a party confident about its future prospects. And it is a party that has a wide pool of competent politicians and effective communicators. How it capitalises on this will be one of the more interesting questions to be answered in the next few years of British politics.

Chris Jarvis is head of strategy and development at Left Foot Forward

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