Caroline Lucas

Caroline Lucas  link Powerbase Sourcewatch Twitter Website (Politician, environmentalist)
File:Caroline Lucas 1.jpg
Born	Caroline Patricia Lucas 9 December 1960 Malvern
Alma mater	University of Exeter, University of Kansas
Children	2
Spouse	Richard Savage
Party	Green Party UK, Green Party of England and Wales
Trail blazing former Green MP and MEP, biding her time to return in a leadership role?

Caroline Lucas is a British politician and member of the Green Party of England and Wales who was a Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2010, and the Member of Parliament for Brighton Pavilion from 2010 until the UK/General election/2024.

Elected the first leader of the Green Party in 2008, Lucas was selected to represent the constituency of Brighton Pavilion in the 2010 general election, becoming the party's first MP. She stood down as party leader in 2012 to devote more time to her parliamentary duties and focus on the election campaign. She returned as party leader from September 2016 to September 2018, sharing the post with Jonathan Bartley.

In June 2023, she announced she would stand down as MP at the next election.

Activities

Asked in February 2011 how she felt about working in Parliament as a lone Green MP, as a socialist and as an environmentalist, Caroline Lucas replied:

"I think one of the positive things has been the fact that it has been possible to make alliances across the different groups in Parliament. When I was a lone councillor on Oxfordshire County Council I was completely frozen out. Nobody would even second my amendments – they just didn’t want me to be part of the council.

"I’ve been pleasantly surprised to find that Parliament is different. So it has been possible to work with people like Jeremy Corbyn MP on nuclear disarmament and in the all-party group on disarmament, and people like Paul Flynn on Afghanistan (we’re both co-chairs of the all-party group for the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan), and at the same time on electoral reform to work with Douglas Carswell, a right-wing Tory, who I was able to work with to try to broaden the number of choices on the ballot paper.

"When the Alternative Vote referendum happens – we wanted it to include a proper proportional representative system as well as AV."

In December 2015, she was reported to have resigned as patron of the Stop the War Coalition. In a statement, her spokesman said:

“Caroline was specifically troubled by some Stop the War Coalition statements after the Paris atrocities. StWC has played an important role in building the anti-war movement in Britain, and Caroline will continue to work in support of peace."

On 6 October 2017, Caroline Lucas tweeted:

"Congrats ICAN! Scandal that UK Government has been actively working against these Nobel Prize winners. UK must back the ban, now!

During COVID-19 she advocated for the globalist Build Back Better policy and The Great Reset.

In May 2026, responding to a report that the Greens were preparing to field a candidate at the 2026 Makerfield by-election, Lucas said:

“I hope this isn’t true. There are times when it’s more important to put country before party. This is one of them. Burnham’s longstanding commitment to a fairer voting system could transform our democracy and counter the dire threat of a Reform UK government.”

Spied upon

The Guardian reported in 2016 that Caroline Lucas was being spied on by the Metropolitan Police Service anti-extremism unit, then known as the National Counter Terrorism Police Operations Centre. The file on Lucas, which stretches back to 2008, records how she gave a speech at an anti-austerity demonstration in June 2015 in London where she accused the government of conducting an “ideological war on welfare” at the rally, attended by thousands.

Another entry records how she attended a demonstration in February 2014 against disability cuts in Brighton where she has been an MP since 2010. Police noted she “spoke with some of the assembled” journalists.

She is also logged as attending a demonstration in Brighton in April 2014 opposing a far-right march in the city. Lucas said:

“Spending precious resources on monitoring elected politicians is a clear waste of the public’s money – and sends a chilling message to those who want to engage in peaceful political demonstrations. Nobody should be subject to arbitrary surveillance.

“It’s this kind of thinking that has led police in this country to waste vast amounts of taxpayers’ money in infiltrating environmental groups.

"The police should focus resources on fighting real crime, not attempting to stifle legitimate protest.”

In 2015 she brought a case in the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, with George Galloway and Jenny Jones‎ against the Security Service MI5, Secret Intelligence Service MI6, Government Communications Headquarters, Secretary of State for the Home Department and Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.

The IPT panel, Mr Justice Burton (President), Mr Justice Mitting (Vice-President), Mr Robert Seabrook QC, His Honour Geoffrey Rivlin QC and Sir Richard McLaughlin issued their Judgment on 14 October 2015.

European Parliament

Affiliations

• Vice-Chairwoman, Delegation for relations with the Palestinian Legislative Council
• Member, Committee on International Trade
• Member, Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality
• Substitute, Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety
• Substitute, Delegation for relations with Afghanistan

Former Affiliations

• Member, Committee on International Trade
• Member, Delegation for relations with the Palestinian Legislative Council
• Substitute, Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety
• Substitute, Temporary Committee on Climate Change
• Substitute, Delegation for relations with Mercosur
• Substitute, Delegation for relations with the United States

Record of Parliamentary Votes

• Voted in favour of the directive on "establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy" (A5-0027/2000). The directive covers all water management aspects in order to achieve a 'good status' of all waters by 2015.
• Voted against the directive on "national emission ceilings for certain atmospheric pollutants" (A5-0063/2000). The amendment allows setting less ambitious national emission ceilings for sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), ammonia (NH3) and volatile organic compounds (VOC), which would result in more damage to human health and the environment.
• Voted in favour of the directive on "waste electrical and electronic equipment" (A5-0100/2002). The amendment sets higher reuse and recycling rates for IT and telecommunication equipment. Rejected due to lack of absolute majority.
• Voted in favour of the report on "Community guidelines for the development of the trans-European transport network" (A5-0135/2002). The Trans-European Network of Transport (TEN-T) is a network of so-called 'transport corridors' through Europe. This amendment calls for a full Strategic Environmental Assessment of these transport corridors and calls on the Commission to improve methods for analysing the environmental and economic impact of the TEN-T.
• Voted in favour of the regulation concerning "traceability and labelling of genetically modified organisms and traceability of food and feed products produced from genetically modified organisms" (A5-0229/2002). The amendment allows customers the right to choose GM free food.
• Voted in favour of the report towards a "thematic strategy on the sustainable use of pesticides" (A5-0061/2003). The amendment proposes to ban or severely restrict use of pesticides in areas around sources of drinking water and nature protected zones.
• Voted in favour of the directive on "environmental liability with regard to the prevention and remedying of environmental damage" (A5-0145/2003). According to the amendment, polluters have to pay for environmental clean-up, and it supports an EU-wide regime which makes polluters liable for the damage they cause to wildlife, water and land.
• Voted in favour of the directive on restructuring the "Community framework for the taxation of energy products and electricity" (A5-0302/2003). The amendment aims at giving tax benefits to environmentally friendly sources of energy, which would make them cheaper and more competitive to conventional (more polluting) sources of energy. It also gives tax benefits to environmentally friendly uses of energy for transport, for instance trains. Rejected due to lack of absolute majority.

Personal Information

Curriculum Vitae

• BA (First Class Hons.) English Literature, Exeter University (1980-1983); scholarship, University of Kansas (1983-1984).
• Diploma in Journalism (1987). Ph.D. (English and Women's Studies), University of Exeter (1985-1989).
• National press officer, Green Party (1987-1989).
• With Oxfam:

press officer (1989-1991);

communications officer, Asia Desk (1991-1994);

policy adviser on trade and the environment (1994-1997);

team leader for trade and investment (1998-1999).

• With UK Government: Policy adviser on trade and investment, Department for International Development (1997-1998).
• In the Green Party:

Co-Chair, Party National Council (1989-1990);

general election speaker (1991-1992);

member, Party Regional Council (1997-1999);

Principal Speaker (2003- ).

• Member of the European Parliament (since 1999).
• Vice-President, ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (1999-2003).
• Advisory Board Member:

International Forum on Globalisation;

Centre for a Social Europe.

• Trustee, Radiation Research Trust.
• Patron, Joliba Trust (Africa), Matron, Women's Environmental Network. *President, UNA West Oxfordshire Branch.
• Publications include:

'Green Alternatives to globalisation: a manifesto' (co-author) (2004);

'The euro, or a sustainable future for Britain', Green Party (2000);

'Reforming world trade', Oxfam (1994).

Resources

• European Parliament, Declaration of Members' Financial Interests: Caroline Lucas, 06 January 2009, accessed 09 February 2009.
• European Parliament, Declaration of Members' Financial Interests: Caroline Lucas, 17 June 2009, accessed 04 November 2009.
• European Parliament, MEP Directory: Caroline Lucas, accessed 09 February 2009.
• Friends of the Earth, EU Vote Watch, accessed 09 February 2009.