Carla Denyer has announced she will not stand again as Greens co-leader, breaking up the party’s most electorally successful leadership duo, which delivered four MPs at last year’s general election.
Denyer was among the MPs elected, winning the Bristol Central seat from Labour, and in a statement to the Guardian she said she wanted to put all her efforts into her parliamentary role.
Denyer has served since 2021 as co-leader alongside Adrian Ramsay, who was also elected as an MP last July. He must now decide whether to stand as a solo candidate or join together with someone else. The party’s deputy leader, Zack Polanski,announced on Mondaythat he would stand.
The Greens in England and Wales normally hold leadership elections every two years, but there has not been an election since 2021. Denyer and Ramsay were initially elected for three years, as the election was out of sequence, and then the next one was delayed for a year for the general election.
Denyer said: “It’s been an enormous privilege to lead theGreen partyalongside my excellent co-leader Adrian, wonderfully supported by our deputy leaders – first Amelia [Womack] and then Zack.
“We’ve achieved so much, taking the party from one MP to four, from 450 councillors to over 850, and winning nearly 2m votes at the last general election. But this is just the start for me and the party.
“For me, my guiding light has always been ‘How can I make the biggest positive impact?’ And I’ve decided that for the next few years, the best way I can serve the party and the country is to pour all of my skills, passion and energy into being the best MP I can be, in parliament and in Bristol Central.
“We’re at a critical juncture in British politics. People are feeling deeply let-down and are looking for real alternatives. And with the hard right on the rise in the UK and across the world, it’s never been more important for Greens to offer a genuinely hopeful vision for our future – and crucially to put forward real solutions to make people’s lives better.
“In this new five-party political system it’s all to play for. The future of the Green party is bright, and I’m so excited to play my part in this next chapter as a committed and passionate Green MP.”
Announcing his decision to stand, Polanski said the party needed to be less timid and transform itself into a radical, mass-membership “eco-populism” movement.
In an implicit criticism of the more careful, election-based approach of Denyer and Ramsay, Polanski argued that the Greens needed to meet the challenge of Reform UK, which has a membership about four times bigger than his party and surged to amass of victories in Thursday’s local elections.
As well as Denyer and Ramsay, in the last election Sian Berry re-took the Brighton Pavilion seat held previously by Caroline Lucas, previously the Greens’ sole MP, and Ellie Chowns was elected.
The Green have pioneered the use of co-leaders, with Lucas, Jonathan Bartley and Berry all sharing the role in various combinations.
Under the leadership system, nominations open on 2 June, with the party’s members voting throughout August.