This week the Women’s Equality Party and the Green Party announced a shared vision for a green and caring economy.
Both parties are feminist and inclusive, and both have a strong culture of listening and working in practical ways with the many campaigns and grassroots groups supporting women in our communities.
As part of this, the Women’s Equality Party has endorsed Siân as candidate in Brighton Pavilion.
Both parties have set out their own models to achieve this vision in their respective manifestos and have their own candidates contesting the general election and championing their policies.
Commenting on the endorsement, Siân said:
“We agree that the challenges we face of discrimination, austerity, and so many policies that fail to take the specific needs of more than half our population into account, need mutual respect and cooperation between likeminded allies more than ever.
“It’s vital that women’s voices are heard loud and clear under a new Labour government and all the ideas, issues and values our parties have in common are a key reason that elected Greens can be strong and independent representatives of these values, working with WEP members.
“I am so grateful for Mandu, Catherine, and Sandi’s support in this constituency, and I look forward to closely working with WEP and its members to make sure their voices continue to be a force within Parliament after 4 July. In addition, I am pleased to be able to pledge that I and other Green MPs will join them to push for universal free childcare to be delivered in the lifetime of the new Parliament.
“It makes no sense to deny government investment to truly comprehensive childcare for every family. In contrast, choosing to support childcare is choosing to support a stronger economy, one which allows every woman to realise our potential and contribute our experiences and skills to a better society.”
Co-founder of the Women’s Equality Party, Sandi Toksvig, said:
“I am thrilled to set out our joint vision for a green, caring economy. Cross-party collaboration is in the very fabric of the Women’s Equality Party and it is impossible, and undesirable, to separate our parties’ fights for gender equality and climate justice. So we thought we’d simply bring them together instead. The policies we need to push equality forwards are also the policies that will deliver urgent change to tackle the climate crisis. Investment in social care, childcare and social security would create some of the lowest carbon jobs in the world and transform our economy for women.”
Co-founder and President of the Women’s Equality Party, Catherine Mayer, said:
“A government minister last week warned voters against granting Labour a supermajority. While a Tory exit can’t come soon enough, change to a Labour-led government won’t be enough on its own. The issues that are the lifeblood and focus of the Women’s Equality Party and the Greens are far too urgent to be left to some unspecified point in the future. We need people like Sian Berry in Parliament to push Labour for transformative politics. We are delighted she supports our flagship policy of universal free childcare and that together with her party we have a shared and vital policy platform.
“Caroline Lucas’s voice has had a disproportionate impact during her time in Westminster, on climate change and many other issues. The Women’s Equality Party wants to see Sian continue and extend Caroline’s legacy and challenge the next government to do more and more imaginatively, so we are backing her in Brighton Pavilion.”
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Here is some press coverage of the meeting where WEPs endorsement was discussed:
