The Green Party will never be able to “outshout” Reform UK, joint leadership candidates Ellie Chowns and Adrian Ramsay have said.
The MPs, both elected to the commons at the 2024 general election, said the Greens could shape the next government in the event of a hung parliament, which would see no party possess an overall majority.
Chowns and Ramsay claimed they are ready to wield the “balance of power” at Westminster, which could be used to pressure the government to pursue “real action on climate and on electoral reform”.
The next parliament, they said, could be the “most consequential in a generation”.
The Green Party will elect its next leader in August after Carla Denyer, who currently serves as co-leader alongside Ramsay, announced she would not seek re-election.
Denyer serves as the MP for Bristol Central alongside Chowns and Ramsay in parliament.
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Chowns overturned a Conservative majority of 24,856 at the last election to gain the seat of North Herefordshire for the Greens, while Ramsay defied a notional 22,364 Tory majority to win the new constituency of Waveney Valley.
“We were told it couldn’t be done — but we proved that when we lead with hope, fairness and ambition, we can win anywhere”, Chowns said. “That’s what it will take to grow our movement and help shape the next government.”
Ramsay added: “This success wasn’t an accident… It’s the result of years of hard work, discipline and strategic leadership.
“That’s what we bring — and that’s what the next phase of Green politics needs. With the era of two-party politics now clearly over, there’s everything to play for.”
The Green Party leadership race pits Ramsay and Chowns, running on a joint ticket, against current deputy leader Zack Polanski, who has framed his bid around taking the party towards what he terms “eco-populism”.
Polanski argues that the Green Party can “learn from Nigel Farage” and has claimed his leadership would be “bolder, clearer [and] louder and more effective”.
Speaking to ITV News last week, Polanski said the Greens “need to be so much bolder about what we are offering”, as he urged “the movement to get much bigger, much louder, much more effective”.
Polanski, who sits on the London Assembly, also spoke out against the party’s current co-leadership model, commenting: “I do think the movement needs a single figurehead, and that’s not just about it being about me, but that’s about someone who can go all around the country and amplify other people’s voices.”
Throughout his campaign, Polanski has repeatedly set out how the Greens can and should emulate the style of Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK.
He told ITV News: “Nigel Farage tells a really powerful story, but so often it is based on disinformation and lies. It’s a bit like he’s playing politics on easy. He just gets to hit with people’s emotions.
“I do think we’ve got to learn from that. Not with the same politics, I despise his politics, but with the storytelling.
“It’s just all storytelling needs to be based on facts and information, and that’s really difficult. But transforming this country was never meant to be easy.”
But in an apparent rebuke, Chowns and Ramsay have now claimed that the Greens will “never outshout Reform — but we can outshine them.”
They called for the party to offer a “confident, values-driven alternative”.
Ramsay said: “We beat them by showing there’s another way — a politics rooted in community, not polarisation; in hope, not fear. Huge numbers of people rightly feel utterly let down by politics as usual.
“Reform have tapped into that anger, offering false solutions based on misinformation and scapegoating. People are crying out for a genuine alternative, real solutions, politics with integrity — and that’s what the Greens offer.”
Chowns added: “The stakes have never been higher… But nor has the opportunity. With serious, experienced leadership we can win many more Green MPs, and shape the future of our country. Real change is possible, and we’re ready to make it happen.”
In a post to X (formerly Twitter) over the weekend publicising an upcoming campaign event, Chowns commented: “We’re not here to hold signs. We’re here to hold power.
“I’ll share why being in Westminster matters – and how we grow our influence to win bigger, faster, further.”
Josh Self is Editor of Politics.co.uk, follow him on Bluesky here.
Politics.co.uk is the UK’s leading digital-only political website. Subscribe to our daily newsletter for all the latest news and analysis.
