Why I’m Standing:

I’m standing in the internal Lords selection process because, in all my years in the Green Party, I never remember a time of such existential challenge: the accelerating nature and climate emergencies, the increasing brinkmanship over nuclear weapons, deepening division and inequality, and the rise of the populist far right.

And I want to use all the experience I’ve gained in elected office, first as a Green councillor, then as an MEP, and most recently, as the Green Party’s sole MP, to fight back – to demonstrate that it’s the Greens who are the real opposition to Reform, and to hold this cruel, cowardly, cynical and failing Government to account.  A government which, instead of standing up to Farage and his cronies, shamefully capitulates instead – a government complicit in the Gaza genocide, slashing international aid to spend £15bn on new nuclear warheads, destroying nature protections to pursue increasing economic growth and deregulation, scapegoating refugees and asylum seekers, and refusing to lift the two child benefit cap.

I stood down as MP last year because, after 14 years, being the Commons frontbench spokesperson for literally everything was exhausting and unsustainable – especially when two days/week were devoted to constituency work.  If I were lucky enough to join our brilliant team in the Lords, I’d help make additional impact by focussing on major policy issues from nature and climate to the growing nuclear threat, from safe routes for asylum seekers, to taxing wealth, upholding the right to peaceful protest and defending democracy.

As Co-President of the European Movement, I’m also passionate about accelerating steps to build stronger links with, and ultimately rejoin, the EU, and have been working to highlight the dire environmental impacts of Brexit.

I have extensive media experience, gained in my elected roles and as the Party’s first Leader (2008-2012) and Co-Leader (2016-2018).  I've demonstrated that I am a strong, impactful and strategic communicator, with a large social media following, and have won a number of awards for my parliamentary work. 

I completely support, and would campaign for, the Party’s policy on the abolition of an unelected second chamber.  However, for as long as it exists, I believe Greens should take our seats, using it as a strategic platform to implement policy change, influence public debate and build the wider grassroots Green movement.

And I’m asking for your vote, because I believe this is a moment of huge opportunity, as well as great threat.  People are desperate for a Party that speaks truth to power, that has the courage of its convictions and will face down the far Right.   We urgently need to build a mass grassroots Green movement - and we also need more Greens in the corridors of the power, helping to bring that grassroots energy and voice to the heart of Government.  

Jenny and Natalie are doing an amazing job - I’d love to join them.  That’s why I’m asking for your vote.

Endorsements

  • Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall,

    Chef, Writer, Food and Farming Campaigner

    "As one of the most hard-working and  scrupulously fair-minded parliamentarians of our age, Caroline would make a brilliant contribution to the House of Lords – including, as she says, on making the case for its abolition!  Her parliamentary experience, media profile, fearlessness, authority and unmatched integrity make her a powerful and passionate advocate for Green politics, of course, but also for greater fairness in all our legislation across the board. Now more than ever we need bold politicians in places of influence to face down the populist hard right, stand up for democracy, and stand up for the essential Green values that champion not only our environment, but the quality of all our lives.  And that’s exactly what Caroline would do".

  • Ann Pettifor

    Director, Policy Research in Macroeconomics; Member of Just Transition Commission, Scotland; Author, The Case for the Green New Deal;

    "Britain needs a second chamber of wise, representative citizens to bring long experience to bear on hastily drafted legislation. More important than that, Britain needs voices in the Lords to defend humanity’s life support system – the biosphere. I can think of no one better qualified for that role than Caroline Lucas, who has long fought to defend nature, and who is widely respected across the political and media spectra. Caroline has become a ‘national treasure’ and her appointment to the House of Lords would be a wildly popular choice.”

  • Jonathon Porritt

    Sustainability Campaigner and Author

    “If there's one person who laid the foundations for the Green Party's breakthrough in last year's General Election it has to be Caroline Lucas. No one articulates Green Party thinking and policy more eloquently, and no one better demonstrates what it means to lead with total integrity, compassion and inclusivity, putting cooperation and reconciliation ahead of polarisation. To have Caroline Lucas in the Lords, alongside Natalie Bennett that's and Jenny Jones would do wonders not just for the Green Party, but for the whole body politic here in the UK. Even Keir Starmer is likely to recognise the truth of that”.

  • Sushila Dhall

    Former Green Party Oxfordshire County Councillor:

    "Caroline Lucas has long been a voice of intelligent sanity in the tumultuous world of UK politics. I had the pleasure of serving on Oxfordshire Councty Council with her in the 1990s and our success as a group of only 2 Green County Councillors (forming the first UK County Council Green Group in the country) was due to her contributing her wise voice, very hard work and dedication to the task. Together we created the country's first ever County Green budget, showing that Green policies stand on a legal bedrock of sound financial planning. It is vital that Caroline's voice continues to be heard, and I wholeheartedly endorse her nomination in the Lords selection process”

  • Femi Oluwole

    Writer, Campaigner and pro-EU champion:

    “Caroline would be a huge asset to the UK’s second chamber - not least by working to replace it with an elected alternative.  Brexit was a moral filter for politicians of every party.  When you look at the damage Brexit has done to ordinary people, and you ask ‘but who in Parliament actually tried to stop this?’ Look to her.  I know I did.”

  • Kevin Anderson

    Kevin Anderson, Professor of energy and climate change at Universities of Manchester and Uppsala.

    "We are living through a time that demands principled, courageous leadership - politicians with integrity, moral clarity, deep insight, and a practical understanding of the urgent challenges we face. We also need leaders who can rise above division and communicate with honesty and empathy. While many in politics possess some of these qualities, it is rare to find them all in one individual. Caroline Lucas is that rare exception. Her unwavering commitment to justice, the environment, and democratic values has consistently set her apart. While I have deep reservations about the structure and composition of the House of Lords, until it is fundamentally reformed, I can think of no one more deserving or more urgently needed in the upper chamber than Caroline."