Thursday 1 August 2013

New Green Peer Jenny Jones

It was announced today that Jenny Jones Green Party London AM is to become a member of the House of Lords.  

Jenny was chosen as the Green Party nomination by a ballot of all members of the Green Party of England and Wales. 

She has been a London Assembly Member for 13 years, which has included being Deputy Mayor of London, and prior to that was Chair of the National Green Party Executive.
 
Jenny said:
 "It is an honour and a privilege to be chosen as the Green Party representative in the Second Chamber. My holding the Metropolitan Police to account for over a decade has shown me that issues around policing are a constant concern UK wide and there's a clear need for strong voices protecting civil liberties and the right to protest. I am looking forward to a new battlefield for green ideas and policies and I shall do my best to fulfill the trust and expectation that my party has shown in me."

Jenny will be using the post to support the many worthy changes to legislation put to Parliament by Green MP Caroline Lucas.
Natalie Bennett, Green Party leader, said: "I'm delighted that the Green Party has provided the Second Chamber of the British parliament with its first elected representative*.
"We can only hope this can act as a spur towards wider reform of this house, for which reform has been promised for more than a century.
"Reform was included in the manifestos of the three largest political parties in Britain in 2010, and it isn't too late for action within the term of this parliament."
Natalie added: "Jenny will be an excellent addition to the second chamber, and one small step towards political balance there. Of course a full-elected chamber, on the basis of a proportional vote, would produce a body entirely reflecting the democratic wishes of the British people."
* Jenny was selected as the Green Party's top candidate for the House in an open ballot of all Green Party members.

Jenny lives in Southwark and was a Southwark Councillor, 2006-10. In the previous Mayoral administration she was the Mayor’s Green Transport Advisor, advising him on sustainable forms of transport. She was also Chair of London Food, a Mayoral body looking at ways of giving Londoners fresher, healthier and more affordable food while minimising its environmental impact.

Jenny is an ex-archaeologist, former Deputy Mayor of London, former Chair of the Green Party of England and Wales, and was named in 2004 as one of 200 ‘women of achievement’ by Buckingham Palace.

The list of new peers announced today includes 14 Conservatives, 10 Liberal Democrats and five Labour nominees, as well as the one Green.









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