Sian Berry encourages Keir Starmer to unveil bolder vision

Sir Keir will address delegates for his keynote speech tomorrow in what is likely to be the last party conference before the next general election.

However, Ms Berry - the Green candidate for Brighton Pavilion for the next general election, said the Labour leader should not hesitate to adopt “purposeful policies” to address the crises the country faces.

In a message to the Labour leader, Ms Berry said: “The country needs you to not be like you’re about to be. You have a huge responsibility as the potential leader of the next government, whether that’s a Labour government or with other parties supporting it, so it has to be the best government we’ve had in such a long time because the crises are so great.

“If you think you can get elected by occupying this mushy middle ground and solve these problems, you might win power but you’re not going to help the country.

“People are worried about change but they like to see bold and purposeful policies, not ones that are calculated to not offend the markets.”

Sian Berry, the Green candidate for Brighton Pavilion at the next general election (Image: Green Party)

Ms Berry also criticised Labour’s refusal to cancel the development of the Rosebank oil field and said: “Not saying that they would cancel the Rosebank oil field licence is a real failure - the likely next government could hold that project up and they’re not committed to actually using the bit of power they do have.

“It makes me worry about what they’ll do when they actually have some. They need Green MPs to push them to be bolder.”

The Green Party was in Brighton last weekend for their annual party conference, where they unveiled their plan to target four key constituencies, including Brighton Pavilion, at the next general election

Ms Berry, who spoke to The Argus during the conference, said that voters in the city are open to the idea of voting Green to keep the party’s so-far only seat in Parliament.

She said: “I’m feeling very welcomed by people on the doorstep. A lot of people do seem to be already paying attention to what’s happening.

“I’ve got a very big job between now and the next election to do. There’s no complacency there, but the signs are really good.”

Sian Berry is one of the four Green candidates the party is hoping to get elected at the next general election, along with Carla Denyer (centre-left), Adrian Ramsay and Ellie Chowns (Image: The Argus/Andrew Gardner)

Ms Berry also said she was “more and more confident” of the Greens gaining seats at the next general election, with the party also targeting Bristol Central, Waverley Valley and North Herefordshire.

She said: “The party is really focused on these four seats, making sure that we get over the line.

“We know that in 2010 when Caroline Lucas won against the odds here to make history, it took a huge effort from the whole party to support the campaign - and it feels like we had the support for all four of us.”