The Green party is gathering for its annual conference with a headline pledge for a mass programme of insulating every home that needs it – and an ambitious target of winning four seats at the next election. The conference in Brighton is likely to be the final pre-election gathering for an organisation that has become an increasingly effective campaigning force, gaining more than 400 councillors in England and Wales since 2019, and full control of its first council. The Greens have only ever won a single parliamentary seat, Brighton Pavilion, and with the departure of Caroline Lucas as an MP the party faces a renewed challenge there from Labour. In their speech to the conference on Friday, co-leaders Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay will set out a target of not just keeping the Brighton seat but winning three more. Amid what the party says is a move towards them by former Labour voters disgruntled by Keir Starmer’s policies on the climate and other areas, a key policy offering will be a £145bn investment over 10 years to retrofit homes. The fairer, greener homes guarantee would cover grants to insulate homes, with the offer of low-interest government-backed loans for those who do not qualify for a grant. These would be linked to the property, not the owner, and would be gradually paid off via savings from reduced energy bills. The scheme would see tenants be able to request their landlord applies for a loan to do the work. If they refuse, the local council could take out the loan and do the work instead.
A change in the usual timetable for party conferences means the Greens will meet just before Labour. Denyer told the Guardian that one aim of the gathering would be to reinforce the party’s message that Labour under Starmer is too unambitious. “To be honest with you, voters are already saying that to us on the doorstep,” she said. “They’re saying things like: ‘I used to vote Labour, but I’m really disappointed at the direction Keir Starmer is taking the party.’” Denyer is among the four would-be MPs in Green targets. She will take on Thangam Debbonaire, Labour’s shadow culture secretary, in the newly created seat of Bristol Central, part of the redrawn map of parliamentary constituencies. Inside the new boundaries, Denyer says, of the 14 local councillors, 12 are Green, giving the party a base from which to campaign. “Almost everyone we speak to is warm, and is at least considering voting for the Greens,” she said. “Most people haven’t made up their mind yet, but we explain to them that it’s a straight choice between the Greens and Labour, there’s no chance of the Conservatives getting in. So they can vote with their hearts.” The Greens have in previous elections talked up their chances in a series of seats beyond Brighton Pavilion, only to fall short. And while Denyer’s target seat looks winnable, the other two hopeful candidates – Ramsay, in Waveney Valley, a new seat across parts of Norfolk and Suffolk, and Ellie Chowns in North Herefordshire – face a more uphill task. On the Greens’ side is their increasing success at local level, based largely around a hugely energetic and motivated pool of councillors and volunteers. “In terms of campaigning, the Green party has got more and more organised and disciplined over the last few years,” Denyer said. “And that’s because there has never been a time when the Green party is needed more.” The electoral pitch to those disaffected with the Conservatives would be simple: “What I’ve been saying to them is: it looks like you’re going get your wish, and this going to be the end of the Tory government. “Would you rather a 100% Labour government where Keir Starmer can U-turn on whatever policies he fancies, or do you want a Labour government with a handful of Green MPs who can hold their feet to the fire?”