Amelia Womack, Green Party deputy leader

I have been deputy leader since 2014 and have built and created the role to make it a dynamic force that is more relevant on the political agenda than ever before. I have helped shape the Green Party and the political agenda by:

1. Building powerful movements for change

I am co-founder of Another Europe is Possible – the left wing Remain campaign. During the 2016 EU Referendum this campaign united voters who believed in human rights, workers rights, environmental protection and peace. The movement also created a clear vision of an EU that supported the freedom of movement of people rather than talking about the freedom of movement of money.

I am also co-chair of the People’s Assembly – a mass movement of community activists and trade unions fighting against cuts. In the upcoming months and years it is going to be vital to ensure that we have a clear anti-austerity voice ensuring that our communities and working people aren’t harmed by the aftershock of Coronavirus and Brexit.

These movements have been vital in shifting the narrative on Brexit and austerity on a national level. Something that – as a party – we need to ensure we are influencing, and something especially powerful with a platform in the House of Lords.

2. Lobbying decision makers inside Parliament

I have already been working cross party to influence government policy on women’s rights. One of my key wins has been shifting the debate on misogyny as a hate crime having worked with Helen Pankhurst, MPs and members of the House of Lords. The bill to make this happen is about to have its second reading in Parliament.

I have also worked with Caroline Lucas to table questions on behalf of the Grenfell community, to ensure that there was scrutiny, as well as support for the victims who had already been failed by politics.

I have done this without the power of having a seat, meaning I have had to be imaginative and tenacious to get things changed. Imagine what I could do with legislative power with an aim to disrupt the cosy consensus of stuffy chambers.

3. Taking on the biggest media interviews

I have extensive media experience that covers every major news channel. I’ve taken on Piers Morgan and Andrew Neil with confidence, as well as having articles, comment pieces, interviews and quotes in the Guardian, the i, New Statesman, Daily Telegraph, Vogue, and local papers across the country.

In the 2019 general election I also had a weekly column in the Independent analysing the week in politics from a Green perspective.

4. Standing up for new generations

Around the world we are seeing a seismic shift of young women in leadership positions and in chambers that they have previously lacked representation in. From America and Finland to New Zealand and Kenya, we are seeing the power of young women to ensure that politics works for both people and planet.

Currently, the average age in the House of Lords is 69, and just 5% of the Lords are under 50. On top of that, just 26% of members of the House of Lords are women.

I will bring fresh ideas, and stand up for new generations and represent a voice too often forgotten by politics.

5. Standing on a proud eco-socialist platform

I have always been clear and consistent about how we tackle inequality while staying below 1.5 degrees of warming and tackling the ecological emergency. I will bring my scientific knowledge from my MSc in Environmental Technology and BSc in Environmental Biology for evidenced based policy that helps secure a Green New Deal.

6. And…. will fight for the abolition of the House of Lords – and for an elected second chamber.

I will fight to abolish the House of Lords and hope to one day get elected into a fully democratic second chamber as a result of my work.

Image credit: Channel4 – Creative Commons

PS. We hope you enjoyed this article. Bright Green has got big plans for the future to publish many more articles like this. You can help make that happen. Please donate to Bright Green now.