Adrian Ramsay | |
---|---|
Co-leader of the Green Party of England and Wales | |
Assumed office 1 October 2021 Servingwith Carla Denyer | |
Deputy | Amelia Womack Zack Polanski |
Preceded by | Siân Berry |
Deputy Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales | |
In office 5 September 2008 –3 September 2012 | |
Leader | Caroline Lucas |
Preceded by | Office established |
Succeeded by | Will Duckworth |
Member of Parliament for Waveney Valley | |
Assumed office 4 July 2024 | |
Preceded by | Constituency established |
Majority | 5,593 (11.4%) |
Norwich City Councilor for Nelson Ward | |
In office 10 June 2004 –5 May 2011 | |
Preceded by | Paul McAlenan |
Succeeded by | Denise Carlo |
Norwich City Councilor for Henderson Ward | |
In office 1 May 2003 –10 June 2004 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Adrian Philip Ramsay August 1981 (age 43) Norwich,Norfolk,England |
Political party | Green Party of England and Wales |
Residence(s) | Norwich,Norfolk,England |
Education | City of Norwich School |
Alma mater | University of East Anglia |
Adrian Philip Ramsay (born August 1981) [1] is a British politician who has served as co-leader of the Green Party of England and Wales since 2021 and as the Member of Parliament for Waveney Valley since 2024. He was previously the deputy leader of the Green Party of England and Wales from 2008 to 2012. He served as a Norwich City Councillor from 2003 to 2011. He worked as chief executive of the Centre for Alternative Technology from 2014 to 2019 [2] and from 2019 to 2024 was CEO of MCS Charitable Foundation. [3] [4]
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. [5] 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 UK. [6]
Ramsay was born and brought up in Norwich. [7] He was educated at City of Norwich School, [8] graduated from the University of East Anglia with a first class degree in politics,and went on to study for a master's degree. [7]
Ramsay was first elected to Norwich City Council representing Henderson Ward in May 2003,representing the Green Party. [9] Aged 21,he was one of the youngest councillors in the UK. [10] Later that year,he spoke at a demonstration against tuition fees in the United Kingdom. [11] Ramsay was re-elected in June 2004 for Nelson Ward. [12]
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". [13] In 2007,he was elected for a third time. In 2010,he was serving as the leader of the opposition to the Labour council. [14] At the 2011 local elections,he did not seek re-election to Norwich City Council.
Ramsay was elected unopposed as the first deputy leader of the Green Party of England and Wales on 5 September 2008. [15] In 2009 he made a speech at the party's conference calling for the end private finance initiative agreements in the NHS. [16] He was re-elected as Deputy Leader in the 2010 leadership election with 73.4% of the vote. He was speculated as a possible successor to the party's first leader,Caroline Lucas,but did not stand in the 2012 leadership election nor seek re-election as deputy leader. [17] [18]
On 16 August 2021,Ramsay announced his candidacy for co-leader of the Green Party alongside the Bristol councillor Carla Denyer. [19] He said that the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report had motivated him to return to politics. [20] The pair's joint candidacy emphasised professionalising the party and winning a second Green MP and a first Green Member of the Senedd (MS). [21] [22] The announcement that the pair had been elected was made on 1 October 2021. [23]
In 2023,Ramsay 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... The [solar] application has to be considered on its merits." [24]
In a YouGov poll midway through the 2024 general election campaign,84% of the Green Party supporters polled did not recognise a photograph of Ramsay. [25]
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). [12]
Ramsay 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. [26] Ramsay came in fourth place with 14.9% of the vote (7,095 votes). [27] [28] He co-organised Lucas's campaign in Brighton Pavilion which saw her elected as the UK's first Green Member of Parliament (MP). [29]
At the 2024 general election,he 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. [30] He became the first Green MP for a seat in the East of England. [5] 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 UK. [6]
Shortly after assuming office,Ramsay voiced opposition to government plans 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. [31] This led to allegations of nimbyism,including from Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero,Ed Miliband. [32] Responding to the allegations in an interview on LBC,Ramsay claimed he was representing concerns of his constituents. [33]
Ramsay served as chief executive of the Centre for Alternative Technology from 2014 to 2019,working in Wales. [34] 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, [35] from which he resigned on election to Parliament in July 2024. [36] [37]
Date | Constituency | List position | List votes | % votes |
---|---|---|---|---|
2004 | East of England | 2nd | 84,068 | 5.6 |
Date | Constituency | Votes | % votes | Place |
---|---|---|---|---|
2005 | Norwich South | 3,101 | 7.4 | 4th |
2010 | Norwich South | 7,095 | 14.9 | 4th |
2024 | Waveney Valley | 20,467 | 41.7 | Elected |
Date | Council | Ward | Votes | Place |
---|---|---|---|---|
2003 | Norwich City Council | Henderson | 991 | Elected |
2004 | Norwich City Council | Nelson | 1,643 | Elected |
2007 | Norwich City Council | Nelson | 1,899 | Elected |
Date | Votes | % votes | Place |
---|---|---|---|
2021 | 6,274 (second round) | 61.7 (second round) | Elected (on a joint ticket with Carla Denyer) |
Date | Votes | % votes | Place |
---|---|---|---|
2008 | Elected unopposed | ||
2010 | 2,386 | 73.4 | Elected |
The Green Party of England and Wales is a green,left-wing political party in England and Wales. Since October 2021,Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay have served as the party's co-leaders. The party currently has four representatives in the House of Commons and two in the House of Lords,in addition to over 800 councillors at the local government level and three members of the London Assembly.
Caroline Patricia Lucas is a British politician who was the leader of the Green Party of England and Wales from 2003 to 2006,2007 to 2012,and 2016 to 2018. She was Member of Parliament (MP) for Brighton Pavilion from 2010 to 2024. She was the Green Party's first MP and their only MP until the 2024 general election.
The Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales is the most senior political figure within the Green Party of England and Wales. The role was introduced alongside that of deputy leader in 2008. Prior to this,the party's public spokespersons were principal speakers. There were two principal speakers,one female and one male,who were elected annually at the Green Party's Autumn Conference and held no vote on the Green Party Executive (GPEx).
The Young Greens of England and Wales (YGEW) is the official youth branch of the Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW). All members of the GPEW who are under 30 years old and/or full or part-time students are members of the Young Greens and are allowed to get involved with their activities.
Siân Rebecca Berry is a British politician who has served as the Member of Parliament for Brighton Pavilion since July 2024,succeeding Caroline Lucas. She was a co-leader of the Green Party of England and Wales alongside Jonathan Bartley from 2018 to 2021,and was its sole leader from July to October 2021. From 2006 to 2007,she was one of the Green Party's principal speakers.
Wesley Paul William Streeting is a British politician who has served as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care since July 2024. A member of the Labour Party,he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ilford North since 2015.
The 2008 Green Party of England and Wales leadership election took place in September 2008 to select the first leader of the Green Party of England and Wales. It was won by Caroline Lucas who received 92.4% of the vote. At the same time,Adrian Ramsay was elected unopposed as the party's first deputy leader.
The Green Party of England and Wales has its roots in the PEOPLE Party started in Coventry in 1972/3 by four professional friends. It then changed its name to the more descriptive Ecology Party in 1975,and to the Green Party ten years later. In the 1990s,the Scottish and Northern Ireland wings of the Green Party in the United Kingdom decided to separate amicably from the party in England and Wales,to form the Scottish Green Party and the Green Party in Northern Ireland. The Wales Green Party became an autonomous regional party and remained within the new Green Party of England and Wales.
Peter James Guy Aldous is a British Conservative Party politician. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Waveney constituency in Suffolk from the 2010 general election until its abolition in 2024.
This article lists the election results of the Green Party of England and Wales in the UK parliamentary,European parliamentary,London Assembly,and Senedd elections.
The 2012 Green Party of England and Wales leadership election took place in September 2012 to select a leader of the Green Party of England and Wales. The party's incumbent leader,Caroline Lucas,chose not to seek re-election. The position was won by the journalist Natalie Bennett.
Will Duckworth is a former British politician who served as Deputy Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales from 2012 to 2014. He was the first Green Party councillor in the Black Country after serving on the Dudley Borough Council in the West Midlands from 2012 to 2015.
James Ignatius O'Rourke McMahon is a British politician who has served as Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution since July 2024. A member of Labour Co-op,he has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Oldham West and Royton since 2015 and as the Chair of the Co-operative Party since 2020.
Amelia Helen Womack is a British Green Party of England and Wales politician. She served as the party's Deputy Leader from 2014 to 2022. She is a co-chair of the People's Assembly Against Austerity,and co-founded Another Europe Is Possible.
The 2016 Green Party of England and Wales leadership election took place from July to August 2016 to select a leader of the Green Party of England and Wales. The incumbent leader,Natalie Bennett,announced in May 2016 that she was not going to stand for re-election. The election was won by a joint platform of the party's former leader and only MP Caroline Lucas,with the party's work and pensions spokesperson Jonathan Bartley.
Douglas Gordon Ross is a Scottish politician who has served as Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party since 2020 and as Leader of the Opposition in the Scottish Parliament since 2021. He served as Member of the UK Parliament (MP) for Moray from 2017 to 2024. Ross currently serves as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Highlands and Islands,having been elected as a regional list MSP in 2021. He was previously MSP for the region from 2016 to 2017.
The 2018 Green Party of England and Wales leadership election was held from June to August 2018 to select a leader of the Green Party of England and Wales. Caroline Lucas and Jonathan Bartley had been elected as co-leaders in 2016. Lucas stood down,whilst Bartley stood for re-election with a new co-leadership candidate,Siân Berry. They won re-election in the first round,and Amelia Womack won re-election as the party's deputy leader.
Carla Suzanne Denyer is a British politician who has served as co-leader of the Green Party of England and Wales alongside Adrian Ramsay since 2021 and as the Member of Parliament for Bristol Central since 2024.
The 2021 Green Party of England and Wales leadership election was held from August to September 2021 to select a new leader or leaders of the Green Party of England and Wales. It was triggered by Jonathan Bartley's announcement on 5 July 2021 that he would be standing down as party co-leader. Bartley had been co-leader of the party since 2016,initially serving with the party's Member of Parliament (MP) Caroline Lucas. Sian Berry,who had served as co-leader with Bartley since 2018,did not seek re-election with a new co-leader or by herself.