Ramsay set to challenge Charles Clarke as Greens make important gains across the country

2nd May 2008

Cllr Adrian Ramsay is a real inspiration, and has the full backing of the party as he challenges Charles Clarke for the Norwich South Parliamentary seat at the next General Election.

Green Party Principal Speaker Caroline Lucas has today praised the Norwich Greens for their "impressive" and "inspirational" achievement in becoming the official opposition on Norwich Council in the local elections.

The Greens have beaten Labour on local election vote share across the Norwich South Parliamentary constituency by approximately 3000 votes, and for the first time, the Norwich Greens also won more votes than Labour across the entire city, establishing Green councillor Adrian Ramsay as the main challenger to former Home Secretary Charles Clarke at the next General Election.

The Green Party increased its council seats from 10 to 13 in Norwich, leapfrogging the Liberal Democrats and positioning itself just 2 seats away from the ruling Labour Party. Elsewhere in the country, Greens gained important breakthroughs in Cambridge, Stroud and Solihull, while the Greens in Liverpool formed an unprecedented 'group status'. Sheffield and Camden Greens both gained one seat to make full Green wards in Central and Highgate respectively.

Speaking of the strong Green Party showing in Norwich, and of the other breakthroughs, Dr. Lucas said:

"The Norwich Greens have grown into a hugely impressive presence; building a strong local party through hard work, whilst supporting local communities and offering the Norwich electorate a radically different vision of political will and hope. Cllr Adrian Ramsay is a real inspiration, and has the full backing of the party as he challenges Charles Clarke for the Norwich South Parliamentary seat at the next General Election.

"Elsewhere in the country, the Greens have made crucial breakthroughs in areas where there were previously no Green representatives. The seats in Solihull and Cambridge show that, with determination and by offering a Green alternative to the grey parties, the Green Party can grow outside of its strong bases around the country. By gaining seats in Liverpool and Sheffield, we have shown that the Greens have a great deal to offer voters in the inner cities, as well as suburban and rural parts of the UK.

"And that really matters, because Greens, when we get elected, deliver what we promise. There is real commitment to putting social and environmental justice at the top of the political agenda. Whether we're talking about affordable housing, or whether we're talking about renewable energy and energy efficiency, these are measures that Greens are already implementing in local authority council chambers up and down the country, and it is certainly what we will continue to implement when we are elected to Westminster."

ENDS

Notes for editors

The Green Party have increased their number of council seats to 117, with 9 gains and 4 losses.

For a more detailed look at the Green Party's 2008 election results, please go to votegreenparty.org.uk --