Green Party of England and Wales

The principal green party of Britain, founded in 1973, with parliamentary representation since 2010.

Overview

Founded as PEOPLE in 1973 and renamed the Green Party in 1985, the party broke through in 1989 European elections with 15 percent under first past the post that yielded no seats, a result that fed reform debates. Caroline Lucas became its first MP in 2010 for Brighton Pavilion, and the party holds hundreds of local councillors and its first peer. Its platform pairs ecological sustainability with social justice: carbon reduction, citizen assemblies, and public ownership of utilities. Membership surged in the 2020s as environmental politics mainstreamed, and the party now polls at levels that pressure both larger parties in urban and university constituencies.