A Green Party MP has insisted the party will still stand in the Makerfield by-election, despite call from senior members to step aside.
Ellie Chowns, the Westminster leader of the Green Party, said she thinks it’s “really important” they still contest the crucial election, where Labour’s Andy Burnham is hoping to beat Reform UK.
She was disagreeing with calls from senior members within her party for them to withdraw, in order to give Mr Burnham a better chance of victory.
Green councillors, activists and former party leaders signed a joint statement saying the party should step aside if the Mayor of Greater Manchester commits to introducing proportional representation.
As seen by The Times, signatories of the statement include former party leader been 2016 and 2018 Jonathan Bartley.
“If Burnham will commit to backing proportional representation for the next general Labour election manifesto so that it is in place by the election after next, then on this unique occasion we don’t think Greens should run a full campaign against him,” the letter says.
However, Ms Chowns said she would not have signed the letter, even if invited to do so, but suggested the party would not be “(throwing) the kitchen sink” at their campaign in the constituency.
“If Andy Burnham thinks he can’t win against Reform unless everybody else steps out of the election, then that’s not exactly the messiah that the Labour Party perhaps feels it needs,” she said at Hay Festival.
“We are a political party, we exist to stand in every election. In this particular constituency, there is a question, I think, about the extent to which any party might throw the kitchen sink at a campaign.
“We threw the kitchen sink at Gorton and Denton, and we won it. Makerfield is a different kettle of fish.”
She added: “There are many different ways of running a campaign, from full steam ahead to just having a candidate on the ballot paper.
“So there’s a range of options open to the Green Party in how we can contest this election. But I think it is really important that we do contest this election.”
Looking ahead to the next general election, she added: As a party, we’ve fought our way into the mainstream of politics, and we absolutely intend to stand in every general election seat.”
Chris Kennedy was announced to be running for the Greens on Thursday, but the party confirmed he had dropped out some nine hours later, citing “personal and family reasons”.
The Times later reported it had approached Mr Kennedy about a series of social media posts he had shared.
According to the newspaper, an Instagram video shared by Mr Kennedy described the arrests of two men over an arson attack on Jewish ambulances as “total bulls*** to keep the false flag flying”.
A Green Party spokesperson said: “These posts don’t reflect the views of The Green Party.
“We have spoken to Chris about these posts, and he has now deleted them. He apologises for the offence caused.”