I want to talk about telling the truth.
And as we know the truth can be in short supply in politics.
But as a party – communicating the truth is always central to what we do.
Whether that’s on protecting the future of our NHS, a fairer taxation system or indeed the climate crisis.
And it’s fair to say a lot of the media aren’t always supportive of telling the truth.
There’s a very narrow window of the things you’re allowed to say – and the things you absolutely aren’t.
But people appreciate it when we cut through that and communicate with Honesty. Clarity. Vision.
In fact we found out on July 4th, at least 1.9 million people had crossed a ballot paper and showed they appreciated it. They appreciated the truth.
And telling the truth requires us to be brave.
Stepping up our vision and our ambitions – even when others seek to stop us.
And to be clear, I don’t blame the media for absolutely everything that’s gone wrong in the history of time – but I am saying there might just be some work for them to do.
Because most of the issues we’re facing today are not new. We see them throughout history. But in that same history we can also see the bravery and solidarity of people who stepped up.
Take 1936. The streets are alive with resistance.
Europe on the edge of disaster. Fascism spreading like wildfire.
Oswald Mosley and his British Union of Fascists are trying to bring that same hatred to our streets. Planning a march through the East End of London.
A place many Jewish immigrants—my ancestors—had settled. They were hoping for a safe haven. And it must have felt as if they were anything but welcome.
It’s the 4th October – Jews, Irish dockworkers, trade unionists, communists, socialists, workers, fellow migrants, people— building barricades. Not armed with weapons but with collective solidarity. 300,000 of them. 300,00 people saying no- standing together in their diversity – – 300,000 people together and shouting “They shall not pass!”
People standing shoulder to shoulder blocking the fascists. The police try to clear the way for Mosley’s Blackshirts to come through, but the people hold firm. Refusing to let hatred march unopposed through the streets.
And the fascists didn’t make it through. The Battle of Cable Street is a powerful message: When we stand together against injustice, no matter how strong the challenges seem, we can and we do win.
And the point about the media is that they refused to tell the truth even back then. Or at best they completely missed the point. They called those 300,000 people a “mob” a violent rabble.”.
The truth was whole communities were fighting for their basic human rights,
To live free from violence and persecution. To live in peace.
In history you can always find the heroes. The helpers. The truth tellers. Dr. Hannah Billig, the “Angel of Cable Street,” A Jewish doctor who lived and worked in the East End. She moved through the crowds, providing medical care to the injured. Her bravery earned her the respect of her community. Dr. Billig was a hero.
Pauline Pearce was a hero. Hackney 2011 she stood up to protect her community during the riots. You might remember she went viral in the video where she’s stood with her walking stick in the middle of a burning street – calling for people to take pride in their community. She rightly became known as the “Hackney Heroine.”
And recently – we’ve all seen the racist riots sparked by decades of anti-migrant rhetoric by politicians and in the media – and its certainly not just the Daily Mail. But in places like Gipton and Harehills – a Green Councillor working tirelessly to protect his community, putting his body on the line – speaking his truth that these are our buses, our streets. . On the 18th July, whilst the likes of Tommy Robinson and Nigel Farage tried to spin misinformation and lies – Cllr Mothin Ali was being a hero. Thank you Mothin.
These are people who stepped up.
As the tune goes: there aint no power like the power of the people and the power of the people won’t stop And right now we see the power of the people and the power of communities stepping up.. From where I grew up right here in Manchester, to Birmingham, to Cardiff and Newcastle to my home now in Walthamstow, people turned out in their multiudes to say no. We reject this divisive hate. It might have sold newspapers in years past but people can see through it. We will never forget the Windrush scandal, we will never forget the 72 people who died in the Grenfell Tower and we won’t forget Labour politicians that echo Tory lies like “we have lost control of our borders.” We reject both Islamophobia and Antisemitism – and we know our communities are at their strongest when they are in solidarity. In the Green Party we will stand side by side with our friends and our neighbours and the fascists will never ever win.
And here’s the thing – the public are so ahead of the Government on this. People showed up on the streets with their neighbours to tell the truth. And what is the truth? If you use the NHS, the person working to care for you is much more likely to be a migrant than anyone in front of you in the queue. We have all benefited from food, music, art and culture from all around the world. But it shouldn’t require migrants or people of colour to sort of contribute a trick or deliver something for us to see our collective humanity.
The threat to our society is not arriving by dinghy or a small boat – they’re flying in a private jet. Flying high above our food banks, flying high over our picket lines. And down below the threat comes from our water companies pumping sewage into our rivers whilst shareholders and CEOs become super rich.
The Green Party will tell the truth about migration and about racism in our society. The Green Party will stand up against the far right and fascism. The Green Party will continue to be clear that multimillionaires and billionaires should pay their fair share/ When You Shall Not Pass was shouted at Cable Street, it was already echoing throughout the world. Here’s two words the media can step up and run as a headline: No parasan! That’s the real truth.
And when I talk about stepping up – we’ve just done a lot of it….and I’m not just talking about all the stairs you just leafleted!
What a year it’s been! We set out to win four Green MPs. When we decided the audacious plan to quadruple our representation over night- the media all said can you do it? We said yes we can. And we did it!
And we did it together. To every single one of you who donated, posted on social media, leafletted, had your finger bitten (we love you Danica!) or knocked on doors — you made this happen. Thank you! Thank you all for stepping up, in the sun, rain and snow- and let us recognise and celebrate the difference that you made.
And talking about making differences, I want to acknowledge the last five years of achievement by our outgoing CEO Mary Clegg. We now have thousands more members, hundreds more councillors and 4 MPs elected. Talk about leaving on a high note – thank you Mary for everything you’ve done to help make this happen.
I also want to recognize the monumental task of standing a candidate in every seat in England and Wales for the first time in history. A massive thank you to Andi Mohr on the staff team and every single volunteer involved in making that happen.
And to the 571 of you who put your name on a ballot paper—you might not be MPs (yet!), but you gave people a real choice, a chance to vote for what they believe in. To vote for hope. And we’re proud of you – and I hope you’re proud of yourselves.
I think it’s important to remember why we’re doing all this. We are so needed – we’re two months in and Labour are still supporting the two child benefit cap. This is the policy that expert after expert says lifting could take 300,000 children out of poverty. This is cruelty – and it’s affecting the most vulnerable children..Our party has a very clear message for Keir Starmer: Scrap the cap.
We will keep pushing the Government to make these changes happen, and this conference is about building our movement. More MPs, more Councillors, more Assembly Members—and in Wales next year, we look forward to stepping up campaigning there and celebrating our first Senedd members too!
But this year hasn’t been all celebrations. A year ago, I left this stage, loving the energy of our conference as I am now. But it was October 7th, 2023 and by the time I stepped off the stage, world events were unfolding that would reverberate around the globe. A horrendous terrorist attack in Israel, and a massacre in Gaza that has been devastating to witness every day since. We’ve seen unimaginable violence, heartbreak, destruction on our TVs and on our phones. Every day more depravity.
I’m proud that our party’s immediate response was to call for an immediate ceasefire—the only humane response. To end the violence and the suffering. Those who called it naive haven’t learned from history. From Nelson Mandela to the Troubles, there have been moments when endless cycles of violence seemed inevitable, that there was no route through the carnage and the destruction but it’s been shown people can come together and together they can negotiate peace.
But in telling the truth – we recognise peace just can’t happen until we end our own government’s complicity in violence. We must end further arms sales to Israel—and to all countries breaking international law. In moments that have just felt so dire, I’m really proud that Muslims and Jews have been marching together in solidarity acknowledging each others collective pain. But the genocide there—and all atrocities around the world—must stop. We will continue to stand and work for peace and international justice. And yes, the other truth that must be heard – the illegal occupation must end and we must have the immediate recognition of the state of Palestine.
International peace efforts were very much the main discussion when I was in Manchester earlier this year launching the new Muslim Greens group. Asma Alam, the founder, in her own words joined the Green Party because of our stance on Gaza—but stayed for all our other policies on climate and social justice. It’s amazing to see all our new members – there’s 500 of them here at this conference!
And we have a huge amount of work to do to keep reaching out to all our communities and to continue that work. To do genuine, authentic community engagement. To connect with the communities we live with. The Association of Green Councillors is working on a full programme, but imagine how quickly we could grow if everyone took responsibility. With our friends and neighbors, we can talk about the Green Party, offer to come to all faith and non faith community spaces. Talk about our values who we are and what we stand for and most importantly, listen. Engage. Change. Grow.
Y’know I sometimes hear people say “there is no diversity in the party” but I want to recognise the contributions of the amazing diversity of people in our party from the LGBTIQA+ Greens to the Greens of Colour, Jewish and Muslim Greens who are doing brilliant solidarity and intersectional work. But it’s true we as a membership can always do much more. So lets step up together and help support them.
Because, remember the people who took to the streets in ‘36 didn’t just fight against something—they fought for something—a better world, a more just society in our schools, our workplaces, our communities. Today, we must do the same. We see the anger and pain that exists. Let’s find the hope and the joy in a movement for real change.
Let us not forget that the Battle of Cable Street wasn’t won by a few heroes as important as their inspiring leadership is but by thousands of people who refused to be bystanders in the face of injustice. People who stepped up.
And in May at the local elections – remember them? – so many of our teams stepped up once again. We had some more incredible wins. I was live on LBC with Andrew Marr when the first results came in. I was pretty delighted when our interview was interrupted because Khaled Musharaff and Nick Hartley had just been elected. Our first-ever Green councillors in Newcastle!
In Bolton, just down road, Hanif Alli’s joy was unforgettable—a son of Indian immigrants whose father came to England to work in the cotton mills. Today, we proudly call him Councillor Alli.
Let’s talk about Hannah Spencer! Hannah ran an electrifying campaign for Mayor in Manchester, holding Andy Burnham to account and still giving her three rescue greyhounds the attention they deserve. Hats off to Will, Elsie, Grace (and sadly the late Graham – beautiful dog)—and of course, not to be upstaged by the greyhounds – well done Hannah too!
Katy Grant -you set a new record for us in Avon and Somerset, securing 22% in the Police and Crime Commissioner race. Outstanding work, Katy & team!
Let me tell you about Hastings. An incredible vibe when I visited before the elections, and they delivered big—jumping from 4 to 12 councillors. That’s absolutely phenomenal! Well done to you all.
In Merseyside, we elected our first-ever Green to Sefton Council. Neil Doolin, I’ve seen you do this for a long time and your persistence has really paid off—bravo!
And get this: a four-way contest in Stroud ended with a Green smashing it with 74% of the vote. The best Green result in the country—take a bow, Jonathan Edmunds!
Huge congratulations to Siobhan Harper Nunes, the first woman of colour to stand for Metro Mayor. A historic moment. Siobhan, your courage and leadership are inspirational. Thank you.
And let’s give it up for the Young Greens as a block because they not only fielded 59 candidates in the General Election but also got 12 new councillors elected in May. I was in Newcastle for their convention, and the energy and passion I witnessed was phenomenal – even for the most niche subjects! I want to welcome the new cochairs to their role and give a huge thank you to Jane Baston for her leadership over the last couple of years.
A special shoutout to someone I know very well! My new colleague at the London Assembly – Zoe Garbett. Zoe is already shaking things up at City Hall, pushing the Mayor on reform of the police, rent controls, and leading the charge on drug reform. The War on Drugs is a sham—drugs don’t get criminal records, people do. And too often young people of colour. It’s time for legalisation and regulation, and I’m thrilled to tell you – Zoe is on it.
A massive thank you to everyone who stood in elections—from general to local, london assembly, mayoral to Police and Crime Commissioners. There’s been a lot of elections! From Mumbles to Cannock Chase, you’re making us all proud.
And I just want to say this – to those who didn’t make it over the line this time—yet! Whether I saw you in Harlow, Billericay, or cheering on Ekua right here in Manchester, and all those people I’ve not met yet – your dedication doesn’t go unnoticed. You all define what it means to step up every single day. Thank you.
I want to end by telling you why speaking the truth and stepping up is so urgent.
Quick thought experiment. Imagine it’s the 60s or 70s & we didn’t know anything about the climate crisis, we had full equality and everyone was really satisfied. If we were then told everything needs to change right now because of science – it would be really hard to get everyone on board with that.
But we don’t live in that society. We live in one full of mass inequality and injustice. Where a few people are doing great but most are really struggling. The Climate Emergency rages on and we’re absolutely on the brink of disaster. But we know the answers. We know the same solutions to solve these social issues are often the same solutions to tackle that climate crisis. Our Green Peer, Natalie Bennett puts it pretty succinctly when she says on the front of her book – change everything.
And in changing everything, imagine a place where our air is clean, our rivers run clear, and our green spaces thrive—where nature is not just preserved, but allowed to flourish. Imagine an economy that works for everyone, where jobs are sustainable, fair, and rooted in communities. Imagine a society where the health and happiness of each person are valued above all else, where no one is left behind, and where diversity is truly our greatest strength.
This vision isn’t just a dream—it’s within our reach. But it requires courage, commitment, and our collective effort. It’s a country with a Universal Basic Income and a culture that values leisure,play and art as much as work. Where education is free and entirely about the joy of learning. A country that actually has a fair democracy alongside proportional representation. And yes, with media reform. It’s not an impossible dream. Remember – just this time last year – we are talking about going from 1 MP to winning 4 felt like a huge vision and a big step up. And we all did it. We’re just getting started.
Friends, we’ve got a collective vision to create. A story of liberation both against injustice for oppressed and marginalised communities – a story of animal liberation too. A story that cares and values everyone in our society and recognises that working class communities are not each others enemies. A society that includes disabled people not as an after thought but from the very start. A story that shows love to our LGBTIQA+ communities and values the older people in our lives; it includes groups like our Gypsy, Roma, Traveller communities and it recognises the hugely important part young people will continue to contribute to this story.
It’s time to step up. Let’s raise our ambitions so whilst we campaign one seat at a time we must also continue to build our grassroots movement. This has never been more urgent, more relevant, more possible.
The people of this country are writing this story with us. Writing it in our community halls, on doorsteps, at the bus stops. Let’s keep rewriting it until everyone is included and everyone is empowered. Engagement not just at election time but all year round
All year round environmental justice and all all year round social, racial and economic justice too. We’ve made history together – let’s keep going. This Green Party is ready to grow. Now that’s real hope & real change. Conference, Let’s go!
