Adrian Ramsay and Carla Denyer

After three weeks of members voting, Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay have been elected as co-leaders of the Green Party of England and Wales. In a hotly contested race, Denyer and Ramsay saw off competition from two job share tickets – Tamsin Omond and Amelia Womack, and Tina Rothery and Martin Hemingway – as well as two solo candidates – Shahrar Ali and Ashley Gunstock.

Denyer and Ramsay received 44 per cent of first preference votes, with Amelia Womack and Tamsin Omond coming second with 30 per cent of first preferences. After second preferences of the other three candidates had been re-allocated, Denyer and Ramsay won with 62 per cent of the vote.

Denyer has been a Councillor in Bristol since 2015. She was also the Green candidate for Bristol West, the party’s primary target seat in the 2019 General Election, where she came second.

Ramsay was deputy leader of the Green Party from 2008 to 2012, serving under the leadership of Caroline Lucas. He was first elected as a City Councillor in Norwich in 2003, and remained on the Council until 2011.

Following their election, Denyer said she was “grateful” for members voting for the pair. She said:

We are at a crucial moment in history and it is clear that the other major political parties have failed to bring about the change that is necessary. More than ever before, it is vital that Green policies are adopted for the benefit of our climate and our communities.

We are thrilled to have been elected as Green Party leaders, but this is now where the hard work begins, to elect more MPs and more councillors across the country. It is only by doing this that we can make the difference we all so desperately want to see.

We are so grateful to all of the members who voted for us at such an important time for our party, the country and the world at large.

Ramsay commented on the role he sees the Greens playing in the current political context. He said:

Our country is in crisis – pumps running out of petrol, empty shelves in supermarkets and millions heading into winter fearing rising fuel bills. All worsened by our society’s addiction to fossil fuels.

More than ever, we need strong Green voices to make the compelling case for a Green transition, a just transition.

 This will deliver practical alternatives that release people from dependence on fossil fuels. Insulating people’s homes and installing renewable energy systems. A clean, reliable public transport system. Producing our food in less intensive, more nature-friendly ways. 

All of which would create sustainable, secure jobs with decent rates of pay – and help prevent the next crisis.

The full breakdown of first preference votes was as follows:

  • Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay – 5,062 (44%)
  • Amelia Womack and Tamsin Omond – 3,465 (30%)
  • Shahrar Ali – 2,422 (21%)
  • Tina Rothery and Martin Hemingway – 342 (3%)
  • Ashley Gunstock – 212 (2%)
  • Re-open nominations – 22 (0.2%)

Because the Green Party uses a transferable voting system for their internal elections, if a candidate doesn’t reach 50 per cent of the vote in the first round, all candidates who cannot reach that threshold are eliminated, and the second preferences of people who voted for them are re-allocated to the remaining candidates. Following this, the final result was as follows:

  • Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay – 6,274 (62%)
  • Amelia Womack and Tamsin Omond – 3,902 (38%)

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