The first Green Party of England and Wales leadership election ended on the 5th September 2008 at 8pm.

The election follows the party's decision to replace its current system of two Principal Speaker

Principal Speaker

Principal Speakers were the public spokespersons of the Green Party of England and Wales but have since been replaced in the party by a national Leader and Deputy Leader...

s with a single leader. The change was supported by one Principal Speaker, Caroline Lucas

Caroline Lucas

Caroline Patricia Lucas is a British politician. Lucas is the leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, and the Green Party's first and only Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom...

, but opposed by the other, Derek Wall

Derek Wall

Derek Wall is an English politician and member of the Green Party of England and Wales. Formerly the party's Principal Speaker, he is known as a prominent ecosocialist, campaigning both for environmentalism and socialism. Alongside his political role, Wall is an academic and a writer, having...

. It gained the support of 73% of party members who cast a vote.

Caroline Lucas launched a campaign for the Leadership on 14 July. The other candidate for the leadership was Ashley Gunstock

Ashley Gunstock

Ashley Gunstock is a British actor, political activist and schoolteacher.-Career:He is best known for playing the role of PC Robin Frank in the long running drama television series, The Bill, on ITV....

, an actor

Actor

An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...

 best known for his role in The Bill

The Bill

The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...

.

Only one candidate stood for the Deputy Leadership, Adrian Ramsay

Adrian Ramsay

Adrian Philip Ramsay is an English politician and Deputy Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales. First elected at the age of 21 in 2003, he was a Green Party councillor representing Nelson Ward on Norwich City Council, where he was Coordinator of a fourteen-strong Green groupuing and the...

, leader of the Green group on Norwich City Council. He is a supporter of Lucas and under party gender balance rules, can only be elected to the post if a woman is elected to the leadership.

Nominations for both the Leadership and Deputy Leadership closed on 31 July 2008, following which, ballot papers were distributed. In order to assist candidates with canvassing, the party's Standing Orders Committee decided to release the contact details of 7,000 members to the candidates. More than 100 party members signed a protest letter which questioned whether this publication was legal under the Data Protection Act. The issue became moot when all three candidates declined to request contact details.

Hustings took place at the Green Party of England and Wales

Green Party of England and Wales

The Green Party of England and Wales is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including...

' conference, and the results were announced on 5 September at approximately 8pm.

Results

The turnout was 37.9% (of a membership of 7,565). This was an increase from the 20% turnout for the election of the Principal Speakers in 2007.

The results were as follows:

For leader

Green Party of England and Wales leadership election, 2008
Candidate		Votes	%
	Caroline Lucas Caroline Lucas Caroline Patricia Lucas is a British politician. Lucas is the leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, and the Green Party's first and only Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom...	2,559	92.4
	Ashley Gunstock Ashley Gunstock Ashley Gunstock is a British actor, political activist and schoolteacher.-Career:He is best known for playing the role of PC Robin Frank in the long running drama television series, The Bill, on ITV....	210	7.6
Turnout		2,769	37.9
Caroline Lucas elected leader

For deputy leadership

Green Party of England and Wales deputy leadership election, 2008
Candidate		Votes	%
	Adrian Ramsay Adrian Ramsay Adrian Philip Ramsay is an English politician and Deputy Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales. First elected at the age of 21 in 2003, he was a Green Party councillor representing Nelson Ward on Norwich City Council, where he was Coordinator of a fourteen-strong Green groupuing and the...	unopposed
Turnout
Adrian Ramsay elected deputy leader