Caroline Lucas has announced she will stand down as co-leader of the Greens in the autumn, saying it is time for others in the party to step forward and widen the pool of its prominent figures.
Lucas, for years the party’s sole nationally recognisable politician as well as its only MP, returned for a second stint as leader in 2016 on a joint ticket with Jonathan Bartley, who leads the opposition group on Lambeth council in south London.
The party requires it leaders to re-stand every two years, and Lucas told the Guardian that while she remained committed to her Brighton Pavilion constituency, she would not be continuing in the co-leader role.
“I think making space for other people at this point is a straightforward thing to do and a good thing to do,” she said. “We have a wonderful array of talent in the party and I would love the opportunity for more of that to be showcased.”
Nominations for the leadership and for a series of other senior party positions will be open during June, and there will be a vote in August.
Bartley has previously said he does not wish to be sole leader, and it is possible he could seek a joint ticket with another candidate. Other contenders could include Siân Berry, a member of the…
