31 August 2018

Aimee Challenor has today been suspended on a no fault basis from the Green Party of England and Wales, following consideration by the relevant internal bodies of a number of complaints that have been made against her. In line with our procedures, the suspension will remain in place until the next meeting of the Green Party Regional Council, when it will be reviewed. An investigation will be conducted by an external agency into the circumstances and disclosures surrounding Aimee’s father being able to act as her election agent, while facing charges for serious sexual assault against a minor.

The ‘no fault’ basis means that, at the time of suspension, no fault is assumed or should be inferred. Any assertion of fault or otherwise could be prejudicial to due process.

The Green Party takes its safeguarding responsibilities and duties of care extremely seriously and is committed to learning any difficult lessons needed. As soon as the Terms of Reference for the independent investigation are agreed and the investigator appointed we will announce both publicly. Once the investigation is complete we will announce its conclusions and recommendations. Other than this, no further comment on the investigation will be made while it is active.

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26 August 2018

Aimee Challenor has today stepped aside in the Green Party leadership elections, following the conviction of her father, David Challenor, for abhorrent sexual crimes involving a minor which include him committing some of the gravest human rights violations that face women and girls across the world 

No disclosure was made of Mr Challenor’s arrest or any of the charges against him as part of formal nomination or selection processes. The party is urgently reviewing its disclosure and safeguarding policies and procedures and will learn from any lessons that process reveals.

We apologise unreservedly that Mr Challenor was able to act as an election agent for Aimee Challenor in the 2017 General Election and the local elections in May this year despite the nature of the charges brought against him. A full investigation into how this was able to happen is taking place. His membership was terminated with immediate effect as soon as the information was brought to the attention of decision makers. 

Aimee will not be undertaking any official Green Party roles while the party urgently looks into the circumstances which allowed this situation to arise.

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23 August 2018

Reacting to Dominic Raab’s statement that a no-deal Brexit wouldn’t trigger a battle with Brussels [1], Molly Scott Cato MEP, the Green Party’s Spokesperson on Brexit and a member of the European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee said:

“It is deeply worrying that leaving the EU without a deal is being discussed as a plausible outcome. Let’s be absolutely clear, there is no conceivable way that a no-deal Brexit can be acceptable. End of story. It ultimately doesn’t matter if there is a battle with Brussels or not. If we leave with no deal, the damage will have been done. 

“The effect it would have on Britain’s agriculture would be catastrophic. If farmers can’t export to the continent, it will still severely threaten their incomes. Even if short term measures are implemented, they will not address the immediate problem of deciding what to plant next spring.

“If there’s even the slightest threat of no deal, the Government must do the responsible thing and put the final deal to a People’s Vote. Nobody voted to crash out of Europe and we can’t risk people’s livelihoods just to appease the extreme fringes of the Conservative Party.”

1.  https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/aug/22/dominic-raab-uk-wont-trigger-no-deal-battle-with-brussels

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20 August 2018

Jonathan Bartley, co-leader of the Green Party, has criticised privatisation and Government cuts for contributing to the failure of Birmingham Prison.

Bartley called on ministers to take steps to reduce prison numbers, following news the Government has taken over Birmingham Prison from G4S after inspectors found it to be in a “state of crisis” [1].

Jonathan Bartley, co-leader of the Green Party, said:

“The Government is wilfully blind to the scale of crisis facing our prisons. This report lays bare the inadequacy and squalor of a system which is failing everyone. From riots and deaths to take overs, it is clear the privatisation experiment hasn’t worked. Meanwhile cuts have left prisons unable to meet inmates’ basic needs – let alone rehabilitate them.

“The Government should set our prisons on a new path towards a more successful, humane and common sense justice system. Britain has the highest imprisonment rates in Western Europe – but it doesn’t have to be like this. It should start with reducing prison numbers and a programme of prison closures, exploring alternatives to incarceration. It should also overhaul our failing drug laws.”

Notes:

1. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-45240742

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16 August 2018

The Green Party has responded to news fracking company Cuadrilla has been given a warning by the Environment Agency after breaking the law over the storage of waste at its Preston New Road site in Lancashire [1].

Jenny Jones, Green peer in the House of Lords, said:

“Cuadrilla has repeatedly shown contempt for our environment and the local community around its Lancashire site. The irony of a fracking company which criminalises peaceful protest to have itself broken the law is not lost on us.

“The dodgy disposal of waste is just the latest in a long list of corner cutting by frackers in Britain, and it’s time the Government saw sense and dropped its illogical support for a dysfunctional industry. Fracking is dirty, dangerous, expensive and unnecessary. The Government must end its reckless dash for gas and instead invest in cheaper, cleaner renewable energy for the future.”

Notes:

1. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/cuadrilla-is-warned-over-storage-of-shale-waste-ld3tjbjfn

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