Zoë Garbett Launches Green Party campaign for London: “Now is the time”

Greens can and must win the London mayoralty said Zoë Garbett today, as she officially launched the Green Party’s campaign for the London Mayor and Assembly. 

Speaking at the Canal Club Community Centre in Bethnal Green, the Hackney Councillor criticised Labour and Conservatives alike for failing Londoners, with 2.2 million in the city estimated to be in poverty.

Offering a sharp contrast, Zoë presented her case for backing London’s third political party, promising a roadmap that takes the cost-of-living and climate crises seriously. Her pitch to the city revealed the cornerstone policies of her campaign for City Hall, including:

• Reduce transport costs, including by extending free bus travel to under 22s, providing free bus travel to people seeking asylum and reinstating free pre-9am travel for Freedom Pass and 60+ Oyster card holders.
• Provide free school meals for primary and secondary school children.
• Set up a rent commission to get a better deal for renters – by not only introducing a rent freeze, but ultimately bringing down rents.
• Buy back homes and build better homes, to reduce the cost of bills and the impact on the climate.

Speaking to the crowd at the launch, Councillor Zoë Garbett said:

“We have a Conservative government that has inflicted over a decade of austerity. But the current Labour Mayor of London has failed to get to grips with the affordability crisis facing our city, and nationally, Labour are saying they will continue many of the Conservatives disastrous economic policies. Both the Conservatives and Labour have let London down.

“London desperately needs a Mayor that understands the issues that most Londoners are facing. As a ward councillor in Hackney, I know how unaffordable this city has become. As a renter, I know how insecure it can feel.

“Greens are on the rise in London. We have been the third party in this city for well over a decade, and across the country people are voting Green in record numbers. We need a Green Mayor; now is the time.”

Zoë Garbett is running for London Mayor alongside a full slate of candidates of the London Assembly.