Celebrities sign statement of support for Caroline Lucas – but not the Greens
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Version 0 of 1. Sir David Attenborough, Joanna Lumley, Lily Cole and Thom Yorke are among dozens of celebrities to have called for the re-election of the Green party’s Caroline Lucas, while avoiding any explicit endorsement of the party itself. A statement of support for Lucas has been signed by 40 prominent public figures, including the founders of Lush cosmetics, the Big Issue and Agent Provocateur, who said it was crucial that Lucas retain a presence in Westminster. But it was made clear that the supporters, who also include the musician Billy Bragg, impressionist Rory Bremner and film director Stephen Frears, were not necessarily backing the Green party nationally, just Lucas as an individual. It reads: “Most of us are not members of the Green party, and many are not much involved in party politics. But we all feel it’s crucial that Caroline Lucas, the Green party’s sole MP at this time, should be re-elected in her Brighton constituency on 7 May. “Over the last five years, Caroline has eloquently addressed many of today’s most pressing issues – from accelerating climate change to sustainable farming, from human rights to a just and sustainable economy. This leadership matters all the more at a time when the mainstream parties are finding it so hard to address these challenges properly. “Regardless of our own political allegiance, we believe that our democracy can only be strengthened by maintaining such a strong and inspirational presence in parliament.” Related: The Katie Hopkins effect: why MPs fear a celebrity endorsement The environmentalist Jonathon Porritt told The Guardian it was his initiative to garner support for Lucas because he had been dismayed by the “aggressive” Labour campaign in her seat of Brighton Pavilion, a key marginal. “The Labour party seem determined to make it one of their battlegrounds, which is very weird,” he said. “And I thought there would be many people who might not wish to explicitly endorse the Greens, or indeed any party, but who felt it was healthy for our democracy to have key voices in parliament, like Caroline. People who are independent, who are trustworthy, who are respected, and who speak like human beings.” Porritt said he didn’t ask whether other Green party members might have objected to an initiative centred on an individual and not the party as a whole. “This is a marginal seat, Caroline is one of our most talented people and of course the party should – and does – make a special effort to push the case that people should vote for her,” he said. “I could have tried to get a letter together which was generically in support of the Green party, but I doubt it would have got as many names.” Would I have signed a statement just endorsing the Greens? Probably not, though I support their progressive agenda Lucas said: “I’m humbled there are so many people who think I’ve done a good job in parliament. I do know that it’s not an explicit endorsement of the party. I don’t know how many of them have read the Green manifesto and many of them might find things to disagree with if they did. But I think what they want to ensure is a strong Green voice in parliament and winning Brighton Pavilion is the best chance for that.” Subtle efforts to put some distance between Lucas and the party could be connected to the unpopularity of Brighton council, which is led by the Greens. The council has been dogged by internal feuds, and residents have suffered severe disruption in waste collection as workers took strike action. The council was ranked 302nd out of 326 local authorities for its recycling credentials, despite pledging that 70% of all domestic waste would be recycled by May 2015. The seat, which is considered a three-way marginal with Lucas holding a majority of just 1,252 votes, is 19th on Labour’s list of targets. Purna Sen, the deputy director of the Institute of Public Affairs, will contest it for Labour and the Tory candidate is Clarence Mitchell, a public relations adviser notable for his work with the family of the missing girl Madeleine McCann. The Greens’ former national chair Penny Kemp, who is now the party’s communications chief, said it had to be the party’s “No 1 priority” to get Lucas re-elected, and denied there would be any consternation from other Green candidates. “Obviously we wouldn’t want a campaign around Caroline at the expense of other Green MPs, but we haven’t got any,” she said. Bragg, who was closely associated with the Labour party during the 80s and 90s, but endorsed the Liberal Democrats in his West Dorset constituency in 2010, told the Guardian he thought having Lucas in parliament was key to having a real voice on climate change in Westminster. “Would I have signed a statement just endorsing the Greens? Probably not, though I generally support their progressive agenda,” he said. “This entire election has been focused on growth and the economy, with no mention of climate change or the environment, and if there’s no Green MP in Westminster that will continue.” Sen said: “We can all try and attract our share of celebrity endorsements, we’ve had [mother of murdered teenager Stephen] Doreen Lawrence here and Harry Leslie Smith [the 92-year-old NHS campaigner] but what I’ve been concentrating on is speaking to voters here about the issues they care about. The Green party’s tactics are their call to make.” The full list of signatories: Artists and celebrities Sir David Attenborough, naturalist and broadcaster Lily Cole, model and actress Joanna Lumley, actress and author Thom Yorke, Radiohead musician and songwriter Dr Brian May, musician, astrophysicist and animal welfare campaigner Billy Bragg, singer-songwriter Rory Bremner, impressionist and satirist Tom Burke, environmentalist Stephen Frears, film director Katharine Hamnett, fashion designer Jeremy Irons, actor Diana Quick, actress Bianca Jagger, human rights activist Kevin McCloud, Grand Designs presenter Alistair McGowan, actor and impressionist Cornelia Parker, sculptor and installation artist Oliver Rowe, chef Tracy Worcester, former actress and animal welfare campaigner Business Mark Constantine, founder of Lush cosmetics Joseph Corré, co-founder, Agent Provocateur Phil Bloomer, executive director, Business and Human Rights Resource Centre Campaigners and scientists John Ashton, former special representative for climate change at the Foreign Office Joyce d’Silva, animal welfare campaigner James Cameron, barrister and environmentalist Prof Tim Jackson, sustainable development, University of Surrey Dr Jane Goodall, primatologist and UN messenger of peace Tony Juniper, environmentalist Satish Kumar, former monk and peace activist Dr Jeremy Leggett, green energy entrepreneur Sara Parkin, former Green Party principal speaker Jonathon Porritt, environmentalist and broadcaster Prof Christopher Rapley, former director of the Science Museum and the British Antarctic Survey Gordon Roddick, founder of 38 Degrees and co-founder, the Big Issue and the Body Shop Charles Secrett, former head of Friends of the Earth England, Wales and Northern Ireland Dale Vince, Ecotricity founder Sir Tim Smit, co-founder of the Eden Project Writers and journalists George Monbiot, journalist and author Michael Morpurgo, children’s author, poet, playwright Mark Steel, writer and comedian Mark Thomas, comedian and journalist |