Green Party

The Green Party was founded in 1973 and, until 1985, was known as the Ecology Party.

Although the Scottish and Northern Irish Green parties left the UK party in 1990, and operate separately, the party in Wales has remained part of the England and Wales Green Party.

The Greens have had limited electoral success in Wales at the UK Parliament, Senedd and local government levels, but secured their best-ever Welsh local election results in 2022, winning 8 council seats.

Following the election of London Assembly member Zack Polanski as leader of the England and Wales Party in 2025, the party enjoyed a significant boost in coverage and memberships. Alongside the introduction of a wholly proportional voting system for the Senedd, it helped push the Greens over the line to win their first Senedd seats in 2026.

The Green Party ideology has a core focus on the environment, conservation and climate change. This is mixed with a broadly left-wing/progressive (often called “eco-socialist”) set of policies on the economy, housing, social justice and other matters.

The party in Wales has taken particularly strong stances in favour of tenants’ rights, in favour of public ownership of key public services, opposition to nuclear energy and opposition to over-development.

The Greens have long had a heavy policy overlap with Plaid Cymru (with a few notable exceptions). The two parties formally worked together in the 1990s and during the 2022 local elections.

The Green Party has been moderately sceptical of the EU in the past – particularly its corporate, agricultural and environmental policies – but the party ultimately (but perhaps reluctantly) backed Remain in 2016.

The Wales Green Party runs as an autonomous regional party within the England & Wales Green Party and is responsible for its own administration and membership. Discussions over becoming a wholly separate party – as the Scottish Greens – have taken place but have never been formally approved.

The Leader of the England and Wales party is the overall leader of the party in Wales, though the Wales Green Party has its own leadership team.

Both the England and Wales and Wales parties have a Leader supported by two Deputy Leaders. Leadership elections are held every two years, and candidates need to have been a member of the party for three years.

A 36-member Green Party Council – elected by the membership – is responsible for the overall direction and governance of the party. This body includes a specific representation from the Welsh party. The Green Party Executive is responsible for the day-to-day running of the party. Internal elections use single transferable vote (STV).

The Green Party supports the devolution of more powers to Wales.

Since 2020, the Wales Green Party supports Welsh independence.