
Caroline Lucas is sitting on the curve of a trendy sofa inside Liverpool’s ACC Conference Centre. Even close up, she has to speak loudly so her words can be heard above bustle of delegates – from France, South Korea, even Mongolia – who have gathered at this meeting of Global Greens. Their concerns range from ocean conservation to corruption. But the challenge on Caroline’s mind is closer to home.
On the Saturday afternoon, the Green Party of England and Wales passed a motion in support of electoral alliances for proportional representation. The aim is to work together with other parties to beat the Tories and secure the introduction of electoral reform. If enough reform-minded MPs are returned at the next general election, legislation could then be passed and a second election held shortly afterwards under the new system. “That’s the prize,” Lucas says.