Londoner Natalie Bennett is new Green Party leader

 
Monarchy plan: Natalie Bennett Pic: PA
3 September 2012
WEST END FINAL

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Londoner Natalie Bennett has been elected leader of the Green Party.

A journalist and community campaigner, she has lived in Camden for the past decade. Australian-born Ms Bennett, 46, beat three other candidates to succeed Caroline Lucas, who is now a Brighton MP.

Ms Lucas stood down to focus on her duties as an MP and “give other people the opportunity to get well known”. Ms Bennett has worked for a number of publications, including The Independent, and is a former editor of Guardian Weekly.

She is the chairwoman of the Green Party Women group and has worked in Asia on women’s development issues.

She will address grass-roots members at the party’s conference this weekend in Bristol.

The 46-year-old Australian-born former journalist was declared the victor of a ballot of party members - beating off the challenge of closest rival Peter Cranie in the final round of a contest fought under the STV system of proportional representation.

The vacancy arose after the party's first and only MP, Caroline Lucas, stepped aside as head of her party.

The party will announce the result of a vote for a new deputy leader later after delays to the vote counting forced a postponement.

Green Party equality rules mean of the two posts, a man and a woman must be elected.

Ms Bennett will head straight into the party's autumn conference, taking place in Bristol from Friday, where she will deliver the keynote speech.

She told a press conference that Green Party policies were "the only viable way forward for British people, for the world".

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