Ramsay was the successful Green parliamentary candidate for Waveney Valley at the 2024 general election and became the first Green MP for a seat in the East of England.[6] This marked the first time that both Green Party co-leaders were elected to Parliament,and he also became the first ever male MP for a Green party in the United Kingdom.[7]
In a BBC article from May 2006,Ramsay was described as "pursuing a full-time career through his council work on a £9,500 annual allowance".[15] In 2007,he was elected for a third time. In 2010,he was serving as the leader of the opposition to the Labour council.[16] At the 2011 local elections,he did not seek re-election to Norwich City Council.
Ramsay stood as parliamentary candidate in the Norwich South constituency in the 2005 general election. He came fourth,with 7.4% of the vote (3,101 votes).[14] He stood for Norwich South again in the 2010 general election;the party's leader,Caroline Lucas,cited him as one of the Green candidates with the greatest chance of winning.[17] Ramsay came in fourth place with 14.9% of the vote (7,095 votes).[18][19] He co-organised Lucas's campaign in Brighton Pavilion which saw her elected as the UK's first Green MP.[20]
Ramsay was chief executive of the Centre for Alternative Technology from 2014 to 2019,working in Powys,Wales.[25] He returned to Norfolk in 2019 and took up the post of chief executive of the MCS Charitable Foundation,a charity working towards carbon-free UK homes,[26] from which he resigned on election to Parliament in July 2024.[27][28]
Return to politics
On 16 August 2021,Ramsay announced his candidacy for co-leader of the Green Party alongside the Bristol councillor Carla Denyer.[29] He said that the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report had motivated him to return to politics.[30] The pair's joint candidacy emphasised professionalising the party and winning a second Green MP and a first Green Member of the Senedd (MS).[31][32] The announcement that the pair had been elected was made on 1 October 2021.[33]
In 2023,he defended local Green Party politicians who block solar farms,saying that while the Green Party sees "an important role for solar farms as part of the mix",solar application has to be "considered on [their] merits".[34]
Parliamentary career
At the 2024 general election,Ramsay was elected MP for Waveney Valley with 20,467 votes (41.7%) and a majority of 5,593 over the second-placed Conservative candidate. There were six candidates and a 69% turnout.[35] He became the first Green MP for a seat in the East of England.[6] This marked the first time that both Green Party co-leaders were elected to Parliament. He became the first ever male MP for a Green party in the UK.[7] He was also one of the first five Green Party MPs overall:Lucas retired after fourteen years as an MP,with successful Green candidates Siân Berry,Ellie Chowns,and Ramsay's co-leader Carla Denyer joining him as first-time MPs. Nationally,Labour formed a majority government with Keir Starmer taking office as Prime Minister.
Shortly after assuming office,Ramsay voiced opposition to plans by the new government to build a 100-mile corridor of pylons to connect his Suffolk constituency to offshore wind power. Ramsay said he was in favour of considering other options,including an offshore grid.[36] This led to allegations of NIMBYism,including from the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero,Ed Miliband.[37] Responding to the allegations in an interview on LBC,Ramsay claimed he was representing concerns of his constituents.[38]
Following the Supreme Court ruling on For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers,Ramsay said he supported the ruling.[41] Asked if he believed trans women are women,he did not explicitly agree or disagree.[41] He also said that he believed members of the Green Party should not be expelled from the party for anti-trans views.[41] In response to this,the Young Greens published a statement with their disappointment in Ramsay's comments.[42]
On 8 May 2025,Greens co-leader Carla Denyer announced she would not seek re-election in the 2025 party leadership election so as to focus on her work as an MP. This meant that Ramsay would either have to seek another co-candidate,or stand as a single lone candidate.[43] Three days later,he launched a joint leadership bid alongside fellow Green Party MP Ellie Chowns.[44] The results of the leadership were announced on 2 September 2025,with Chowns and Ramsay being defeated by Zack Polanski,who won with over 84% of the vote.[45]
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