The Deputy Leader of The Green Party, Amelia Womack, will speak in Liverpool today at the party’s largest ever conference.
Ms Womack, 30, has been deputy leader since September. She will use her speech at the Party Conference to criticise the coalition’s record and spell out the Greens’ vision for an economy that “works for the common good”.
She is expected to say:
“We now live in a country as defined by our foodbanks as we are by our football – as known for our tax avoidance as we are for our tea.”
She will confirm that the Green Party will be including a commitment to free undergraduate education in their manifesto – paid for through general taxation.
She is expected to say:
“This moment in our history, when our country runs the risk of being turned over to private interests and sold to the highest bidder – is no moment for half measures.
“That’s why we will always be bold in our policies – and be honest about who is going to foot the bill.
“That’s why today I can confirm to you that our manifesto will include a commitment to free undergraduate university education, paid for through general, progressive taxation. Because when wesay that education is a public good – wemean it.”
The Greens’ commitment to ending tuition fees will bolster the already strong support for the party among students and young people. A survey by YouthSight[1] put the party second among students, while YouGov put the party on 22% among 18-24-year-olds[2].
Ms Womack, 30, is one of two deputy leaders for The Green Party. She is standing at the general election against Labour’s deputy leader Harriet Harman in the Camberwell and Peckham constituency. She is the youngest deputy leader of any party in Britain.
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Notes
[2] https://yougov.co.uk/news/2015/01/13/greens-tied-conservatives-among-young-people/