New joint leaders pledge to make the Greens the third party in British politics

The new co-leaders of the Greens voiced their ambition to become Britain’s “third political party”, after their election by a landslide in a ballot of members.

The election of Jonathan Bartley and Sian Berry means the Greens in England and Wales will continue with a joint leadership, after Mr Bartley and the party’s only MP Caroline Lucas shared the helm for the past two years.

The pair easily saw off challenges from rivals, scooping 6,239 of the 8,379 votes cast, against 1,466 for Shahrar Ali and 495 for Leslie Rowe.

Amelia Womack was re-elected for a third term as deputy leader, taking 3,981 out of 7,369 votes.

The new co-leaders pledged to put the party on course to supplant the Liberal Democrats and Scottish National Party to claim the title of “the third political party in Britain”, and said they aim to get a Green into every council chamber.

Mr Bartley said: “We’re proud to lead a party with a track record on the right side of history and are ready to mobilise a fiercer Green resistance than ever before.

“When faced with the environmental destruction of fracking or the spiralling costs of HS2, or the inhumanity of indefinite detention and forced removals of refugees and migrants, we are not afraid to join protesters putting their bodies on the line for what is right.”

Ms Berry said: “With Brexit on the horizon and our planet burning, the last thing people need is the stale centrism of the past, which brought us austerity and privatisation and totally failed to tackle climate breakdown or give people real security and quality of life.

“The Green Party is the opposite of vapid, old school centrist politics, and we are ready to shout louder than ever before about the bright Green ideas needed to face the huge challenges in the world today.”

Mr Bartley has led the opposition on Lambeth Borough Council in south London since being elected a councillor in May this year.

Ms Berry was elected a London Assembly member in 2016, when she also came third in the London mayoral race. She has been a Camden councillor since 2014.