“This is Labour playing the get out of jail free card. As their support around the country tanks, this invitation from the minister to avoid the ballot box next May offers Labour-run councils an opportunity to avoid meltdown at the polls. It would also prop up tired and stale Conservative administrations.
“Local people need to have their say in who they believe is best placed to tackle local issues in their communities.
“The Electoral Commission has said that extending existing mandates risks affecting the legitimacy of local decision making and damaging public confidence. We agree – democracy is too important to be considered a distraction.
“Greens are raring to go – indeed our candidates and local campaign teams are already out knocking on doors, speaking to residents and delivering newsletters. We’re gearing up to win many more seats across England in May.”
“This is Labour playing the get out of jail free card. As their support around the country tanks, this invitation from the minister to avoid the ballot box next May offers Labour-run councils an opportunity to avoid meltdown at the polls. It would also prop up tired and stale Conservative administrations.
“Local people need to have their say in who they believe is best placed to tackle local issues in their communities.
“The Electoral Commission has said that extending existing mandates risks affecting the legitimacy of local decision making and damaging public confidence. We agree – democracy is too important to be considered a distraction.
“Greens are raring to go – indeed our candidates and local campaign teams are already out knocking on doors, speaking to residents and delivering newsletters. We’re gearing up to win many more seats across England in May.”
Reacting to news that two Prisoners for Palestine taking part in a hunger strike have been taken to hospital, co-deputy leader of the Green Party, Mothin Ali, said:
“These prisoners are now seriously ill. Amu Gib is on day 50 of their hunger strike while Kamran Ahmed is on day 42. After this length of time without food they are at very high risk of organ failure, irreversible neurological damage, and death.
“This horrific situation could have been prevented if ministers had agreed to meet with representatives of the hunger strikers and hear their concerns and demands.
“They are calling for an end to censorship of their communication, immediate bail, a fair trial, the deproscription of Palestine Action and the shutdown of Elbit Systems in the UK – Israel’s largest weapons manufacturer, producing 85% of Israel’s drones fleet and land-based military equipment.
“There are also claims of mistreatment of the prisoners, something I witnessed first-hand when I went to visit Amu Gib at HMP Bronzefield. It is a terrible indictment of this government’s failure that these prisoners feel forced into using the only tool they have left – their own bodies – to draw attention to the injustices and maltreatment they are experiencing.”
Adrian Ramsay MP for Waveney Valley has welcomed the Government’s Animal Welfare Strategy, published today, but warned that it must have real teeth to deliver meaningful improvements for animals.
Adrian Ramsay said:
“There is much to welcome in the Animal Welfare Strategy, but it must have real teeth to deliver for animals. Ministers must set clear timescales to phase out crates and cages, properly support farmers through the transition and not allow imports that don’t meet UK standards.
“I welcome the action on snares, hunting and puppy farming. Puppy legislation must end breeding for extreme, unhealthy traits in dogs. The strategy could go further for animals, particularly by ending greyhound racing, as the Welsh Government is doing.
“Ending the use of farrowing crates and cages – as we called for in the cross-party letter I organised – is particularly crucial for tackling cruelty, and the strategy must set out how and when this will happen.”
Jamie Driscoll Joins Green Party as Newcastle Greens Build for 2026
Newcastle Green Party has today welcomed Jamie Driscoll to the party, as local Greens continue to build momentum ahead of the all-out city council elections in May 2026.
Jamie Driscoll, former Mayor of the North of Tyne Combined Authority, said he has joined the Green Party because its values align with his own and because he sees it as a serious force in fixing Britain’s problems.
Jamie Driscoll said:
“Britain’s a mess. British politics is a mess and it’s not the fault of immigrants. Food prices, energy prices, housing prices are all too high. Our economy isn’t working for workers, it isn’t working for small businesses. It doesn’t have to be like this. I’m joining the Green Party because I see an organisation that’s serious about running our country in the long-term interests of all our people.”
Driscoll joins a growing team of Green campaigners and councillors who are working year-round to deliver real change for communities across Newcastle.
Mothin Ali, Deputy Leader of the Green Party, said:
“Newcastle Greens are showing what happens when politics is rooted in communities. Our councillors work hard every single day for residents, community groups and local organisations, and people are responding. Where they have a Green councillor, they want more. Jamie joining the party is a recognition of that local record and the values-led politics Newcastle Greens are building ahead of 2026.”
Zack Polanski, Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, added:
“This is another example of the Green surge sweeping across the country. Jamie is a well known political figure with a proven track record of delivering real change to people’s lives. People are looking for bold politics that offers hope rather than fear, and solutions rather than division. Newcastle Greens are growing fast because they’re delivering for their communities. It’s great to see Jamie Driscoll choosing to be part of a party that’s building real momentum from the ground up.”
The local party says this local record is reflected in rapidly growing public support. Newcastle Greens are now the fastest-growing political party in the city, with more than 1,000 new members joining in just the past few months.
With all-out local elections in May 2026, Newcastle Greens say their focus is on growing their team, deepening community links and offering a positive alternative to Reform’s politics of fear, funded by billionaires and based on managed decline and culture-war division.
Green Party Councillor for South Jesmond, Sarah Peters said:
“Jamie Driscoll’s decision to join the Green Party comes as Newcastle Greens position themselves as the only credible, values-led force for change, rooted in everyday action and long-term ambition for the city.
“After 14 years of Conservative austerity, and with many communities still feeling overlooked and left behind by this weak Labour government, Newcastle needs hope, fairness and ambition again, not more of the same politics that have failed local people.
“The Greens are the only party in Newcastle consistently offering bold, practical solutions – on housing, transport, climate, public services and community wealth. We’re the only party challenging narratives that pit communities against each other instead of tackling the real causes of inequality.
“Newcastle Greens currently have a strong and expanding group of councillors with a proven track record of hard work in wards across the city. From standing up for residents facing rising bills, housing problems and failing services, to supporting community organisations, protecting local green spaces and winning practical improvements street by street, Green councillors are focused on improving daily life for people in Newcastle.”