A guide to the Green Party - including its policies, its leaders, and its key election targets
The Greens are standing candidates in 574 seats in this election - and they're hoping to quadruple their number of MPs to four. Here's what you need to know about the party.
Wednesday 12 June 2024 13:19, UK
Riding off the back of record gains in the local elections, the Greens are hoping to quadruple their number of MPs to four at the general election.聽
As the party's name suggests, environmental concerns are front and centre.
But it has also put a focus on broader social policies including health and housing as it fights for more sway in Westminster decision-making.
Here is your guide to what you need to know about the Green Party.
General election latest: Follow live updates
What are the Green Party's policies?
The Green Party has launched its manifesto laying out its priorities: overhauling the tax system, the NHS, housing, the climate and public services.
Housing - The Greens have pledged to create 150,000 new council homes every year by the end of the parliament, end the Right to Buy scheme, introduce rent controls and end no-fault evictions.
"We will push for the right homes to be built, at the right price and in the right place," co-leader Carla Denyer said at the party's campaign launch event.
The Greens propose to invest £30bn over five years on a Green Economic Transition plan, to upgrade homes to increase their energy efficiency, which they say will make them warmer and cheaper to run.
Climate - The Greens have pledged to stop "all new fossil fuel projects" and cancel those that have been recently licensed, such as Rosebank.
The party promised to invest in renewable energy, public transport and supporting the switch to electric vehicles.
Having more Greens in parliament would stop “cosying up to the fossil fuel lobby and abandoning commitments on climate targets”, the party has previously said.
Tax - The manifesto pledges a wealth tax of 1% annually on assets above £10m and of 2% on assets above £1bn.
Along with other tax measures - such as removing the upper earning limit that restricts the amount of national insurance paid by high earners - the party estimates it could raise an additional revenue of between £50-70bn.
NHS - The party pledged to invest £50bn in health and social care, including making personal social care free at the point of use.
It has said it will "reverse the creeping privatisation" of the health service and pledged to make sure everyone can see an NHS dentist or doctor.
Public services - The party pledged to bring water companies, railways, and the big five retail energy companies into public ownership.
Education - The Greens also promised to scrap university tuition fees and increase the schools budget.
Water quality - The Greens have said they want to make sure people can enjoy beaches and rivers without the fear of getting sick, and protect marine life from being "damaged beyond repair".
Defence - Having long called for the UK to pull out of NATO, the party voted to abandon that position in March 2023 in favour of reform, including a commitment to a "no first use" policy for nuclear weapons.
What is their representation in parliament?
Former leader of the Greens, Caroline Lucas, has been the party's sole voice in the House of Commons.
She is standing down at this general election after 14 years as the MP for Brighton Pavilion.
The Green Party also has two members in the House of Lords.
Who are the leaders?
Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay became co-leaders of the Green Party in 2021.
The rules of the party's leadership mean there can be two co-leaders of different genders, plus a deputy leader, or one leader plus two deputies of different genders.
Both co-leaders hope to pick up seats, against Labour in Bristol Central where Ms Denyer is standing, and against the Conservatives in Waveney Valley where Mr Ramsay is standing.
Read more: Who are Green Party co-leaders?
Ms Denyer had a career as an engineer working in renewable energy before becoming a councillor in Bristol in 2015. She stepped down as a councillor in 2024 to focus on her campaign to become MP.
Mr Ramsay was previously deputy leader of the Greens from 2008 to 2012 and has worked for environmental charities and as a senior lecturer in environmental politics and economics.
How did the Green Party do in the local elections?
The Green Party gained 74 councillors in the 2024 local elections, meaning it now holds 812 seats on more than 170 councils.
However, it did not gain control of any new councils.
In 2023, the Greens took control of Mid Suffolk council - the first time the party has held a majority on a council in England.
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
What about the last general election?
The Green Party took 2.7% of the vote in the 2019 general election with 865,697 votes.
It won a single seat in Brighton Pavilion, which it has held since 2010.
What is the party hoping for in the general election?
The Greens are hoping to quadruple their number of MPs to four at this election.
The party is particularly hopeful about its candidates in four seats:
• Brighton Pavilion - Sian Berry
• Bristol Central - Carla Denyer
• North Herefordshire - Ellie Chowns
• Waveney Valley - Adrian Ramsay
While the Greens are focusing on the constituencies where they bank on the highest chance of winning, they are aiming to stand candidates in every seat across England and Wales.
"That will mean everyone across the country will have the chance to vote Green," Ms Denyer said.
In a YouGov poll for Sky News on 29 May, the Greens were polling at 7%. An average of recent polls puts the party on 6%.
Read more:
Live poll tracker: Which party is on course to win?
The full lists of candidates in the party's target seats are as follows:
Brighton Pavilion:
Sian Berry - Green Party
Carl Buckfield - Social Democratic Party
Tom Gray - Labour Party
Mark Francis Mulvihill - Reform UK
Ashley Ridley - Liberal Democrats
Citizen Skwith - Monster Raving Loony Party
AI Steve - Independent
Sarah Victoria Webster - Conservative and Unionist Party
Bristol Central:
Robert Clarke - Reform UK
Nicholas Coombes - Liberal Democrats
Thangam Debbonaire - Labour Party
Carla Denyer - Green Party
Kellie-Jay Keen - Party Of Women
Samuel Williams - Conservative and Unionist Party
North Herefordshire:
Jon Browning - Labour Party
Ellie Chowns - Green Party
Andrew Dye - Reform UK
Michael Guest - Social Democratic Party
Cat Hornsey - Liberal Democrats
Bill Wiggin - Conservative and Unionist Party
Waveney Valley:
Scott Huggins - Reform UK
Gurpreet Padda - Labour Party
Adrian Ramsay - Green Party
Richard Rout - Conservative and Unionist Party
Maya Severyn - Social Democratic Party
John Richard Shreeve - Liberal Democrats
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
How many members does it have?
The Green Party had about 54,000 members as of December 2021, according to the Electoral Commission.
What is the history of the Green Party?
The Green Party marked its 50th anniversary in 2023 - although it started life in 1973 as People, it was renamed the Ecology Party two years later to reflect its environmental agenda.
In 1985 it officially became the Green Party, and four years later it gained two million votes in the European parliamentary elections.
Almost three decades after forming, the party's first member entered the House of Commons when Caroline Lucas won the Brighton Pavilion seat in 2010.