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Siân Berry

Siân Rebecca Berry (/ʃɑːn/; born 9 July 1974) is a British politician who has served as the Member of Parliament for Brighton Pavilion since July 2024, succeeding Caroline Lucas. She was a co-leader of the Green Party of England and Wales alongside Jonathan Bartley from 2018 to 2021, and was its sole leader from July to October 2021. From 2006 to 2007, she was one of the Green Party's principal speakers.[1]

Siân Berry
MP
Official portrait, 2024
Member of Parliament
for Brighton Pavilion
Incumbent
Assumed office
4 July 2024
Preceded byCaroline Lucas
Majority14,290 (27.3%)
Co-leader of the Green Party
of England and Wales
In office
4 September 2018 – 1 October 2021
Serving with Jonathan Bartley (2018–2021)
DeputyAmelia Womack
Preceded byCaroline Lucas
Succeeded byCarla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay
Leader of the Greens in the London Assembly
In office
6 May 2016 – 19 October 2018
Leader
Preceded byJenny Jones
Succeeded byCaroline Russell
Principal Speaker of the Green Party
In office
24 November 2006 – 30 November 2007
Serving with Derek Wall
Preceded byCaroline Lucas
Succeeded byCaroline Lucas
Member of the London Assembly
for Londonwide
In office
6 May 2016 – 7 May 2024
Camden London Borough Councillor
for Highgate
In office
22 May 2014 – 20 October 2023
Preceded byMaya De Souza
Succeeded byLorna Jane Russell
Personal details
Born
Siân Rebecca Berry

(1974-07-09) 9 July 1974 (age 50)
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England
Political partyGreen Party of England and Wales
Alma materTrinity College, Oxford
Websitesianberry.org.uk

Berry was a Member of the London Assembly (AM) from 2016 until she resigned in 2024, serving as a London-wide member elected under the additional member system. She also served as a Green Party councillor on Camden Council, representing Highgate until October 2023.[2][3]

Early life and career

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Siân Rebecca Berry[4] was born on 9 July 1974,[5] and brought up in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. She was educated at Pate's Grammar School, a state grammar school in Cheltenham, where her parents were teachers.[6] She studied metallurgy and the science of materials at Trinity College, Oxford, graduating with a Master of Engineering (MEng) degree.[7] Upon graduating in 1997, she moved to London.[1]

Berry worked as a medical copywriter for large pharmaceutical companies, which she decided conflicted with her principles. She became increasingly politically active, beginning a new career in an ethical temping agency that dealt with a wide range of charitable organisations.

From June 2011 to late 2015, Berry worked as a roads and sustainable transport campaigner for the charity Campaign for Better Transport.[8]

Green Party politician

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Berry joined the Green Party aged 27.

In her first major party political role as the Green Party Campaigns Co-ordinator, Berry led the Green Energy Works Campaign, calling for low carbon, non-nuclear energy to tackle climate change. She also led a campaign against the renewal of Britain's nuclear weapon, the Trident submarine, travelling to the nuclear submarine base in Faslane, Scotland, to protest.[1]

Berry failed to be elected to Camden London Borough Council three times: once during 2002 and twice in 2006. In the 2002 local elections, she came fifth in the Highgate ward with 811 votes, 38 votes behind the third place required to gain a seat.[9] The 2006 local elections saw her contest the neighbouring Kentish Town ward, in which she gained 1,057 votes and came sixth out of 12.[10] A 7 December 2006 by-election in Kentish Town ward saw her come second out of four with 812 votes, behind the Liberal Democrat winner on 1,093 votes.[11]

In 2005, Berry was the Green Party's parliamentary candidate for the Hampstead and Highgate constituency (which included Highgate ward) at that year's general election. She received 5.3% of the vote, coming fourth; the seat was held by Labour's Glenda Jackson.[12]

Berry was elected as the Green Party's female Principal Speaker unopposed in autumn 2006, succeeding Caroline Lucas MEP and, working alongside male Principal Speaker Derek Wall, served until autumn 2007, when Lucas resumed the post following an election. She wrote a regular blog for the New Statesman magazine from November 2006 to July 2008.[13]

On 12 March 2007, the Green Party announced that Berry would be the party's candidate in the 2008 London mayoral election, after she received 45% of the votes in the London Green Party's internal election.[14] Berry recommended that her voters back Labour Party candidate Ken Livingstone as their second preference[15] and Livingstone advocated an equivalent preference for his supporters.[16] Berry was endorsed by The Independent and The Observer newspapers, with Ken Livingstone as second preference.[17][18] Berry came fourth, with 3.15% of first preferences and 13.50% of second preferences.[19] This was the highest placing for a Green Mayoral candidate at the time, later surpassed by the Green's Jenny Jones in the 2012 London mayoral elections who came third ahead of the Liberal Democrats.

Camden Council

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In the 2014 local elections, Berry was elected to the Highgate ward of Camden London Borough Council, holding the seat of outgoing Green councillor Maya De Souza in a split result for the ward.[20][21][22]

Berry has supported local services in Camden threatened by redevelopment projects. She has advocated "green development" in Kings Cross Railwaylands (the largest brownfield site in the UK) to provide more family-housing.[1]

London Assembly

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Berry (right), with Natalie Bennett and Jenny Jones, in 2015

On 2 September, it was announced that she had won the internal party election to stand as the Greens' London mayoral candidate and first place list candidate for the London Assembly elections in 2016. She was one of the few candidates in the race to rent rather than own her home and made private renters' rights a centrepiece of her campaign.[23] She was described by The Guardian's London specialist Dave Hill as having "like her party, grown more formidable with experience".[24]

Berry came third in the first preference voting round for the mayoralty, and thus did not make it to the second round.[25] However, she was elected to the London Assembly as one of two Green members.[26]

At the 2017 general election, Berry ran as the Green candidate for Holborn and St Pancras, which includes her Highgate ward. She finished fourth, and the party lost its deposit in the seat, which was retained for Labour by Sir Keir Starmer.[27]

At the May 2021 London Assembly elections, delayed by a year owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, Berry was re-elected.[28] The same month, alongside celebrities and other public figures, Berry was a signatory to an open letter from Stylist magazine which called on the government to address what it described as an "epidemic of male violence" by funding an "ongoing, high-profile, expert-informed awareness campaign on men’s violence against women and girls".[29]

On 14 July 2021, Berry announced she would stand down as the Green Party's co-leader, citing an internal party conflict over transgender rights and stating that "there is now an inconsistency between the sincere promise to fight for trans rights and inclusion in my work and the message sent by the party’s choice of frontbench representatives."[30][31] This then set in motion the 2021 Green Party of England and Wales leadership election.

In August 2023, she announced her candidacy for the 2024 London Assembly election, to be held in May 2024.[32] Berry won a seat, but resigned three days later to hand it to Zoë Garbett, who had come fourth in the 2024 London mayoral election, for which she was criticised.[33][34][35]

House of Commons

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On 13 June 2023, Berry announced her intention to stand to be the Green Party's prospective parliamentary candidate for Brighton Pavilion constituency, a seat that is being vacated by incumbent Green MP Caroline Lucas.[36][37] On 19 July 2023, she was confirmed as the Green Party candidate, having secured 71% of first preference votes.[38]

On her selection she said that "Labour's lurch to the right would help the Greens hold the seat".[39] This raised questions about whether she would continue as a councillor, after saying "I will work every moment between now and the general election" in Brighton Pavilion.[40] On 20 October 2023, Berry stood down as a councillor in Camden to focus on her general election campaign in Brighton Pavilion.[2]

In the 2024 General Election, Berry was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Brighton Pavilion with 28,809 votes (54.8%) and a majority of 14,290 over the second-placed Labour candidate.[41] The Greens would win a further three seats for their best-ever election result: Ellie Chowns and Green co-leaders Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay joined Berry as first-time MPs, making them amongst the party's first five MPs ever alongside the retiring Lucas.[42] She made her maiden speech on 17 July 2024 during the debate following the King's Speech.[43]

Berry is a co-sponsor of Kim Leadbeater's assisted suicide bill.[44]

Non-party activism

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Environmentalism

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Berry was a founder of the Alliance against Urban 4×4s, which began in Camden in 2003 and became a national campaign demanding measures to stop 4×4s (or sport utility vehicles) "taking over our cities".[1] The campaign is known for its "theatrical demonstrations" and mock parking tickets, credited to Berry[1] (although now adapted by numerous local groups),[45] some 150,000 of which have been placed on 4×4 vehicles by campaigners. The group was successful in getting the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, to adopt one of its founding principles when he introduced a higher congestion charge for vehicles with high emissions. The Alliance campaigns further for greater taxes and stricter controls on advertisements for 4×4s. An international '4×4 Network' has now been founded.[1]

In 2009 she was a driving force behind the Reheat Britain campaign for 'boiler scrappage' which secured funding to replace some of the most inefficient boilers in the UK through the 2009 annual Pre Budget Report.[46]

Anti-war

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Berry has also campaigned against the Iraq war. She initiated the Census Alert[47] campaign to stop Lockheed Martin from running the UK Census.

Humanism

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Berry is a humanist and a patron of Humanists UK (formerly the British Humanist Association), a UK charity representing non-religious people who want a secular state.[48] On 15 September 2010, Berry, along with 54 other public figures, signed a BHA open letter published in The Guardian, stating their opposition to Pope Benedict XVI's state visit to the UK.[49] In a 2021 video recorded for Humanists UK's 125th anniversary, Berry stated humanism was "an approach to life shaped by a rational, evidence-based understanding of our society and the problems we face – not only as individuals, but collectively" and rooted in "concern for other living beings, for our planet, and for future generations".[50]

Following the 2024 general election, Berry was elected Vice Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Humanist Group.[51]

Other activism

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She is a Patron of the Fair Pay Network.[52][53] She has campaigned against genetically modified foods.

Monitoring by police

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In April 2016, it was reported that Berry had been monitored by the National Domestic Extremism and Disorder Intelligence Unit, in apparent contradiction of assurances by Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, that the unit would not target peaceful campaigners.[54]

Author

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Berry is also author of a number of books, including 50 Ways to Greener Travel,[55] 50 Ways to be a Greener Shopper,[56] 50 Ways to Save Water and Energy[57] and 50 Ways to make your house and garden greener.[58] In 2010 she published Mend it![59] and in 2011 Junk for Joy on upcycling projects.[60]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g Siân Berry's biography, Green Party of England and Wales
  2. ^ a b "By-election triggered as Siân Berry quits Highgate councillor role". Ham & High. 19 October 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  3. ^ "Greens' Sian Berry quits London Assembly just three days after re-election". Evening Standard. 7 May 2024. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  4. ^ "Siân Berry – Register of interests". Greater London Authority. 16 May 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  5. ^ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
  6. ^ Eyre, Hermione (27 April 2008). "Sian Berry: Will the woman described as 'environmental Viagra' turn us". The Independent. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  7. ^ Berry, Siân Rebecca. Oxford University Press. 1 December 2018. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U260087. ISBN 978-0-19-954088-4. Retrieved 3 May 2019. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  8. ^ "Sian Berry joins Campaign for Better Transport". Campaign for Better Transport media release. London. 7 June 2014. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  9. ^ "Camden local election 2002". (155 KB), London Borough of Camden
  10. ^ Camden council seat-by-seat results, BBC News Online, 5 May 2006
  11. ^ Kentish Town by-election results, London Borough of Camden, 7 December 2006
  12. ^ "Election 2005 | Results | Hampstead & Highgate". BBC News. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  13. ^ Siân Berry's blog, New Statesman
  14. ^ Siân Berry Chosen as London Mayoral Candidate, Green Party of England and Wales, 12 March 2007
  15. ^ Vote Berry… and Livingstone, New Statesman, 19 March 2008
  16. ^ Mayor tries to build coalition in attempt to defeat Johnson, The Guardian, 20 March 2008
  17. ^ London's unenviable choice points to Ken, The Guardian, 27 April 2008
  18. ^ If newspapers had a vote, this one would put its cross beside…, The Independent, 1 May 2008
  19. ^ Results: Mayor Archived 5 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine, London Elects, 2 May 2008
  20. ^ Tim Lamden (23 May 2014). "Election results: Green Sian Berry halts unanimous Labour victory in Highgate". Hampstead Highgate Express.
  21. ^ Tim Lamden (23 May 2014). "Election results: Lib Dems decimated in Camden as Labour romp to victory". Hampstead Highgate Express.
  22. ^ "Camden Labour celebrates record-breaking win in Town Hall elections – Camden New Journal". camdennewjournal.com.
  23. ^ ROSAMUND URWIN (27 November 2015). "Sian Berry: Campaign meetings are harder when you live in an attic room". Evening Standard.
  24. ^ Dave Hill (13 February 2016). "London mayor race: the Green party vision of Sian Berry". The Guardian.
  25. ^ "London Mayor and Assembly 2016 election results". BBC News. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  26. ^ "Results 2016". London Elects. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  27. ^ "Holborn & St Pancras parliamentary constituency - Election 2019". BBC News. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  28. ^ "Results 2021". London Elects. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  29. ^ ""We're calling on you to act now": read Stylist's open letter to Priti Patel about ending male violence against women and girls". Stylist. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  30. ^ Elgot, Jessica (14 July 2021). "Sian Berry quits as Green party leader in dispute over trans rights". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  31. ^ "Siân Berry on transphobia in the Green Party: 'We have a problem to solve'". Opendemocracy.net. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  32. ^ Vickers, Noah (10 August 2023). "Siân Berry to re-stand for London Assembly despite selection as Brighton MP candidate". Evening Standard. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  33. ^ "Siân Berry steps aside, welcomes Zoë Garbett to London Assembly Green Group | London City Hall". www.london.gov.uk. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  34. ^ "Green Party's Siân Berry quits London Assembly just three days into the job". LBC. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  35. ^ Vickers, Noah (7 May 2024). "Greens' Sian Berry quits London Assembly just three days after re-election". Evening Standard. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  36. ^ @sianberry (13 June 2023). "See below and the link…" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 25 June 2023. Retrieved 25 June 2023 – via Twitter.
  37. ^ Vickers, Noah (13 June 2023). "Siân Berry to bid for Caroline Lucas' Brighton MP seat". BBC News. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  38. ^ "Sian Berry selected as candidate to follow Caroline Lucas as next Green MP for Brighton Pavilion". Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  39. ^ Walker, Peter (21 July 2023). "Siân Berry says Labour shift to right could help Greens hold Brighton". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  40. ^ "Highgate councillor Sian Berry to work 'every moment' to win trust of voters in Brighton".
  41. ^ "Brighton Pavilion results - General election results 2024". BBC News. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  42. ^ Lydall, Ross (6 July 2024). "Best night for Greens as four MPs (and both leaders) voted in". Evening Standard. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  43. ^ Siân Berry (17 July 2024). "Debate on the Address". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Vol. 752. United Kingdom: House of Commons. col. 120–122.
  44. ^ "Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill" (PDF). UK Parliament. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  45. ^ "Alliance against Urban 4x4s Shop". Stopurban4x4s.org.uk. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  46. ^ "reheatbritain.org.uk - Registered at Namecheap.com". Reheatbritain.org.uk. Archived from the original on 14 December 2009.
  47. ^ "About Census Alert". censusalert.org.uk. Archived from the original on 6 May 2011.
  48. ^ "Siân Berry AM". British Humanist Association. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
  49. ^ "Letters: Harsh judgments on the pope and religion". The Guardian. London. 15 September 2010. Retrieved 16 September 2010.
  50. ^ "Party leaders give thanks to humanists at Humanists UK 125th anniversary". Humanists UK. 5 May 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  51. ^ "All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group relaunches after the election". Humanists UK. 30 July 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  52. ^ "注文住宅で新築一戸建てを依頼する". fairpaynetwork.org.
  53. ^ Siân joins new attack on poverty pay, Green Party of England and Wales, 25 February 2008
  54. ^ Rob Evans and Vikram Dodd (28 April 2016). "Police anti-extremism unit monitoring senior Green party figures". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 28 April 2016. Retrieved 1 July 2016.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  55. ^ Siân Berry (2008), 50 Ways to Greener Travel, Kyle Books, OL 25884351M
  56. ^ Siân Berry (2008), 50 Ways to Be a Greener Shopper, London, UK: Kyle Books, ISBN 978-1856267748, OL 25884355M, 1856267741
  57. ^ Siân Berry (2008), 50 Ways to Save Water & Energy, London, UK: Kyle Books, ISBN 978-1856267731, OL 25884356M, 1856267733
  58. ^ Siân Berry (2008), 50 Ways to Make Your House & Garden Greener, London, UK: Kyle Books, ISBN 978-1856267724, OL 25884349M, 1856267725
  59. ^ Siân Berry (2009), Mend It!, London, UK: Kyle Books, ISBN 978-1856268813, OL 25884350M, 1856268810
  60. ^ Siân Berry (2011), Junk for Joy!, Kyle Books, ISBN 978-1856269735, OL 25884352M, 1856269736
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Party political offices
Preceded by Principal Speaker of the Green Party of England and Wales
2006–2007 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales
2018–2021
With: Jonathan Bartley 		Succeeded by
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Brighton Pavilion
2024–present 		Incumbent
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Siân_Berry&oldid=1259738638"