Reacting to prospect of local elections in May 2026 being postponed, Green Party peer Jenny Jones said: 

“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.”