Responding to the the repressive and violent crackdown on protesters by the Iranian regime, Dr Ellie Chowns MP, leader of the Parliamentary Green Party, said:

“The Green Party stands in solidarity with the people of Iran, who are demonstrating extraordinary courage, putting their lives at risk, in order to protest against the despotic Iranian regime.

“We defend the right to peaceful protest and demand that Iranians are granted freedom of speech; we acknowledge that these are human rights that the people of Iran – women and girls in particular – have spent many years fighting to achieve. Their determination and bravery in the face of brutality is nothing short of heroic.

“The scale of repression and bloodshed with which the regime has responded to protests – killing hundreds of protestors, and cutting off Iranian citizens’ access to the internet and global communication – is intolerable, and we welcome the UK Government’s new sanctions against the regime. We urge the government to use every possible diplomatic, economic, and legal lever available to hold those responsible for the persecution of protestors to account.

“The right to freedom of expression and the right to protest are fundamental. Enabling those rights to flourish unhindered inside Iran is essential if voices and parties who support democracy and human rights are to survive and shape the country’s future.

“We strongly oppose US military intervention as this is likely to result in more deaths and chaos. The US record of interference in the Middle East is a sorry one, be it invading Iraq under false pretences with no post-war governance plan, or failures at proper nation-building in Afghanistan; American intervention has nearly always led to intensified regional instability. Instead, every effort should be made to use all other available levers to sanction Iran and to support those campaigning for human rights and freedom in Iran.”

Reacting to news that MPs will have a debate and vote before any UK troops are deployed on peacekeeping duties in Ukraine, Dr Ellie Chowns MP said:

“The Green Party supports the principle of UK troops serving in a peacekeeping role in Ukraine following a negotiated ceasefire, with a robust international mandate and safeguards, as a necessary precaution to protect civilians and help maintain a sustainable peace. I’m pleased the Prime Minister has confirmed there will be a parliamentary vote before the deployment of any British troops to Ukraine; that commitment to parliamentary oversight is the minimum democratic standard.

“MPs must be able to robustly scrutinise the details of the government’s proposal in full before any British troops are deployed, including the size, scale, and composition of forces (and what weapons they will be equipped with), clear rules of engagement so our forces can serve both as a credible deterrent and a non-escalatory presence, the precise objectives and measurable indicators for how we will know peace has been secured, and a clear withdrawal plan tied to those outcomes.”

Responding to the government’s new Road Safety Strategy, which was announced today, Wednesday 7th January, Green MP, Siân Berry, said:

“The only target for the number of people killed on the road should be zero. With this strategy, the Government has massively overlooked key actions to cut traffic and achieve safer and slower vehicle speeds, which are truly effective at saving lives and essential to reaching this goal.

“The Government should follow the example of Wales, where the national default 20mph limit reduced road casualties on 20mph and 30mph roads by 26 per cent in the first 12 months of its introduction. That represents 630 people in Wales who made it home safely.”

Reacting to President Trump’s threats towards Greenland, Green MP Carla Denyer said:

“Buoyed up by his imperialistic adventures in Venezuela, where he trampled over international law, Trump is now eyeing up Greenland.

“A year of pandering to the President has had no restraining effect whatsoever. It is time for Keir Starmer and government ministers to show some backbone.

“They must make clear that the UK will not tolerate an attack on Greenland and that they will stand up for international law and state sovereignty. Not selectively, but wherever such violations take place and whoever is committing them – whether that be Putin in Ukraine, Netanyahu in Gaza, or Trump in Venezuela, and now potentially in Greenland.

“The Green Party will always reject “might is right” authoritarianism, where military power is used to trump sovereignty and the rule of law.  Diplomacy, cooperation and peacebuilding efforts must be strengthened.”

In response to a group of Conservative MPs and peers pushing for the Church of England to scrap plans to spend £100m on a programme of investment in communities damaged by the enslavement of African people during the transatlantic slave trade, Global Majority Greens spokesperson on Reparations, Antoinette Fernandez, said:

“The Church of England’s fundraising programme for reparations is exactly what an institution like the Church should be doing, not just because it is in line with the teachings of the Christian faith, but also because of basic human decency.

“Conservative MP’s attempting to block the Church shows an appalling arrogance and inhumane dismissal of human rights.”