A huge thank you to all the candidates, the staff here this evening and to the amazing team who worked on the Green campaign.
And sincere and heartfelt thanks to the people of Brighton Pavilion who have once again granted me the honour of representing them in Parliament.
I feel incredibly proud that my majority has increased because it demonstrates that Brighton Pavilion continues to believe in compassion, justice and a bigger future.
It’s not only extreme weather, rising sea levels, farming and fresh water which will be impacted by the climate emergency. So will people’s health.
Groups of doctors and other health professionals say climate change and health should be front and centre of this election, and they’ve scored each party’s manifesto.
No surprise, the Green Party came out on top with maximum marks in all categories.
I commissioned this report earlier this year to inform the Green Party’s debate and policies on nature. It’s been written by a group of leading UK conservationists and nature writers, Mark Cocker, Jeremy Mynott, Jake Fiennes, Helen Smith and Patrick Barkham.
Being the sole Green MP in Parliament has sometimes felt like a lonely job.
But every time I see young people taking to the streets like you are today I don’t feel lonely.
I feel among hundreds of thousands of friends here in the UK - and millions more across the world - who see the reality of the climate emergency.
And who won’t stop until our political leaders do too.
Things are changing.
Yesterday, for the first time in UK history, we had a general election leaders’ debate on climate change.
Your movement made that possible.
We are facing a national health crisis and a major cause is air pollution.
Even in Brighton and Hove with its sea breezes, people are dying prematurely because of polluted air.
There are areas in the city centre, around Portslade and parts of Rottingdean where male life expectancy is three years lower than the rest of England, because of air pollution. North Street in Brighton is one of the ten most polluted streets in the country.
When you’re facing an emergency, you need to act fast. But in a way that doesn’t only address the emergency, it also protects the interests of future generations.
That’s what lies behind the Green Party’s plan of action for ten parliamentary bills in two years - to tackle the climate crisis and kick start the transformation of Britain, in order to create a society that is equal, fair and works for everyone.
There are so many priorities. But we’ve narrowed it down to these ten.
A home is so much more than just a roof over our heads. It should be a place to feel safe and secure, a place to enjoy the precious time we have, whether it's simply to relax and unwind, or to create special memories with loved ones.
This will be my last newsletter for a few weeks, as I switch from being an MP to being a parliamentary candidate, working to get myself and other Greens elected. I hope to meet some of you on the campaign trail.
Now that Parliament is dissolved, I am only able to respond to urgent case work, ie issues that are time-dated and cannot wait. The main contact email address during dissolution will be brightonoffice@greenparty.org.uk
Campaigning for the general election is underway – an election which I didn’t want, but which I shall be fighting very hard to win.
