16 December 2019

In last week's UK general election, the Conservative Party won 365 seats, giving them a new five year mandate and the majority they need to push through their destructive Brexit deal.

The UK's Green MEPs issued the following joint statement:

The Conservative Party’s election victory is an incredibly sad moment for the UK, and for the entire European Union. For the first time in years, we have some certainty over what the future will bring. To be frank, it’s terrifying - a bonfire of our rights and protections, at the very time the UK needs them the most.

Our country now faces the grim reality of an emboldened Conservative Government, with free rein to strip back worker’s rights, diminish our food safety standards, and extend its hostile environment to our EU citizen friends, family and neighbours. We can expect it to tighten its grip on our fragile democratic standards, and back out of its obligations to protect human rights and prevent climate breakdown - betraying billions of young people, and putting the very future of our planet at risk.

This isn’t what people voted for. It’s the result of a broken electoral system, which is skewed to protect vested interests. The election was won by a party that failed to respect the democratic process - 88% of Facebook ads paid for by the Conservative Party contained misleading claims. The Electoral Commission has warned that our laws are not fit for purpose, and that the risks of interference and disinformation are greater than ever. 

Despite most people voting for anti-Brexit parties, Boris Johnson is able to claim he has a ‘mandate’ for his miserable Brexit deal. And while the Green Party increased its vote numbers by over 60%, it still has just one MP in Westminster. In these dark times, this offers at least one small glimmer of hope: the case for electoral reform in the UK has never been so overwhelmingly clear.

As Green MEPs, we’ve fought tirelessly to defeat these regressive, isolationist forces and keep the UK in the European Union. Our colleagues here in the Parliament have assured us that they are ready and waiting to welcome us back. With heavy hearts, we hope that the UK will one day sail home to the heart of the European project, so that future generations can also enjoy the immense benefits of EU citizenship.

Signed by: Scott Ainslie (Green MEP for London), Molly Scott Cato (South West), Ellie Chowns (West Midlands), Gina Dowding (North West), Magid Magid (Yorkshire and the Humber), Alex Phillips (South East), Catherine Rowett (East).