Hundreds of Green Party activists are staging a grassroots revolt against the leadership’s decision to expel two experienced Green Party councillors for supporting tactical voting in this year’s general election.
More than 300 Green Party members, including more than a 20 local councillors and a dozen former parliamentary candidates, have signed an open letter calling on the Green Party to reinstate the members, who were expelled this July.
The row began earlier this year, when an overwhelming majority of Green Party members in Jeremy Hunt’s Godalming & Ash seat voted to stand their candidate aside in favour of the only progressive candidate with any chance of beating him: the Liberal Democrats’ Paul Follows, a long-time friend and collaborator of the Greens.
The decision came after years of progressive co-operation on Waverley Borough Council, which has been controlled by a progressive alliance of Lib Dems, Greens, Labour and independents since 2019.
Since 2017, cross-party activists from the South West Surrey Compass local group have organised to turn Jeremy Hunt’s seat from the 7th safest Tory seat to the 121st.
But despite this history and the democratic decision by local party activists to stand aside, Green Party HQ went over the heads of its members and imposed a paper candidate who went on to win more than 1,000 votes. This decision ultimately helped to split the progressive vote, enabling Hunt to cling on to his seat.
After the election, two Green Party councillors – Steve Williams and Clare Weightman – received notice they were to be expelled from the Green Party until 2029 for supporting tactical voting so Hunt might lose.
In response, national cross-party campaign group Compass has organised an open letter signed by more than 300 Green Party members which urges party HQ to reconsider its decision and reinstate Ms Weightman and Mr Williams as members.
The letter, in full below, reads: “The punishment seems excessively harsh given they went through this full local democratic process only to have a candidate imposed against their wishes at the last minute.”
It continues: “The hope and appeal of the Green Party is its offer of a new approach to politics. It’s why so many new members are joining and voters have been successfully won over. The very people whom the Green Party are attracting will be deterred if the party mimics the top-down culture of the old parties too closely.”
A spokesperson for Compass said:
“With so many huge challenges from the climate crisis to the threat of the far right , now is the time to continue conversations about how we can deepen and strengthen progressive cooperation – not stamp it out as the Greens have done in Surrey.
“Our First Past the Post voting system is hugely unfair to the Greens – that’s why we need to get rid of it – but such domination through top-down control only sustains the old politics and prevents the new from being born.”
Former Green Party member Clare Weightman said:
“It was never my intention to campaign against the Green Party, which is why our local membership had voted 3:1 to stand aside our properly selected candidate, Steve Williams, to support the progressive with the best chance of beating Hunt, and moreover, one who has proved a steadfast friend of the Green Party.
“The imposition of the paper candidate placed us in an invidious position, was unnecessary from a national strategic view, and has done real harm to local Green elected representation and, above all, to local residents’ perception of the party.
“Despite my deep sadness, I am still in my heart a loyal Green, and want very much to have the suspension reduced. I have always been proud to be a Green; I would like to be a proud Green once again.”
For more information please contact:
Harry Gold, Media and Press Officer at Compass: harry@compassonline.org.uk, 07500560643
Full letter:
Dear Joe Hudson-Small, Melanie Earp as Co-Chairs of the Green Party Regional Council,
We are deeply troubled by the recent expulsion of two experienced Green Party councillors for cross-party working, and call for them to be readmitted.
Following a ballot of the local Green Party membership in the Chancellor (Jeremy Hunt)’s Godalming & Ash constituency, an overwhelming majority voted to stand aside in favour of the only candidate with any chance of beating him: the Liberal Democrats’ Paul Follows, a long-time friend and collaborator of the Greens. After the election, two Green party activists in Godalming & Ash were summarily expelled from the party for organising locally alongside others to do everything necessary to unseat Jeremy Hunt.
Both councillors (one of whom was the locally selected Green candidate) had worked successfully to get Greens elected locally for several years via cross-party alliances, yet without any ability to question, debate or respond, both were given a five-year expulsion for publicly backing the candidate best-placed to defeat the Tories. The punishment seems excessively harsh given they went through this full local democratic process only to have a candidate imposed against their wishes at the last minute.
While we fully understand the reluctance of the Green Party to allow widespread unilateral election stand asides, the motion that was passed at conference on this issue does allow for local discretion and special circumstances. Events in this seat are very particular and there should be scope to allow local discretion and decision-making.
More on the back story of their work here.
The hope and appeal of the Green Party is its offer of a new approach to politics. It’s why so many new members are joining and voters have been successfully won over. The very people whom the Green Party are attracting will be deterred if the party mimics the top-down culture of the old parties too closely.
We, the undersigned, therefore call on the expelled members to be reinstated as members of the Green Party.