Election latest: Greens want to nationalise water, rail and energy firms - paid for by more tax on 'super rich' (2024)

The Green Party manifesto launch has now ended, after the co-leaders set out their key policies and took questions from the media.

They unveiled plans to tax "the very richest" in society in order to fund vast investment in the NHS, social care, eduction, hosing - and the green transition, of course.

Scroll down for full details of what Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay unveiled.

Rishi Sunak has been the subject of much mockery for a comment in an interview, due to air later today.

Asked what he went without as a child, he said he and his family did not have a Sky TV package.

And so at their manifesto launch, the Green Party co-leaders are also asked what they went without as children.

Carla Denyer replies that her family did not have Sky TV, and her parents had second-hand cars.

"I'm not trying to elicit any tears here - I had a fairly comfortable childhood, but certainly not a luxurious one," she adds.

Adrian Ramsay says his upbringing was "fairly modest" but "we had what we needed".

He elicits a teasing, sympathetic reaction as he says: "I went without a pet for a large amount of my childhood - eventually persuaded my family otherwise."

But he confirms he did not have Sky TV either.

Some Green candidates have been removed due to allegations of antisemitism made against them, and the co-leaders of the party are asked by a BBC correspondent if this is a problem with their vetting process, or if there's a deeper antisemitism problem in the party.

Adrian Ramsay replies that they are standing 574 candidates, and four were replaced "as a result of questions that were raised, that were then investigated, about things that they had said".

He says that "like any other parties", independent investigations take place when issues are raised.

But he dodges the question about a potentially deeper antisemitism problem within the party.

The question comes after a report in The Times newspaper last week that nearly 20 candidates are alleged to have shared "antisemitic" slurs and conspiracy theories.

Asked how the party ever expected to be taken seriously when they were still campaigning to remove the UK's nuclear deterrent, Mr Ramsey said: "Many people who have got a long history in the military have been clear the investment in nuclear weapons is not a good use of funds.

"That it is an outdated system.

"Even Michael Portillo, when he was defence secretary, said very similar.

"We want to make sure the money we spend on our defence is spent well: on personnel and on the humanitarian work our military does around the world.

"This is about a good use of that funding and not wasting it on an outdated system."

Next to ask a question is a correspondent from ITV, and she puts to the co-leaders a suggestion that a vote for the Greens is a waste because only two parties can likely form a government.

In response, co-leader Adrian Ramsay says Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has made "many U-turns, both on funding for public services, and also on climate".

He points to the plan to spend up to £28bn a year on the green transition, which was ditched earlier this year.

He argues that the Greens are the only party "being honest about the level of investment that's needed".

On the electoral maths, Mr Ramsay says if Sir Keir has "a huge majority", he will be able to "U-turn continually", whereas Green MPs would be able to "push Labour to be bolder both on climate and on investment in our public services".

Sky's political correspondent Gurpreet Narwan asks how the Greens can justify pitching national insurance tax rises that will see one in five taxpayers paying more during a cost of living crisis.

The party's proposed changes would impact those earning more than £50,000 a year.

Mr Ramsay responded: "We have a range of proposals on tax and spending that are about helping those on the lowest incomes through this cost of living crisis.

"But also taking action on the root causes of the cost of living crisis that will support all of us, including the people on middle incomes that you have referred to."

He cites a plan to "help insulate our homes" and "supporting farmers to produce our food locally".

Addressing the subject of national insurance, he said: "Our proposals mean that for someone earning £55,000-per-year would be paying an extra £5 a week.

"We are asking a little more, but we think it is affordable."

The Green Party co-leaders are now taking questions from journalists, and first up is the BBC.

They ask if they are really being honest that they can definitely raise the money needed for all the spending they are promising.

Carla Denyer replies: "Yes, we absolutely are. Our manifesto is fully costed - a lot of work has gone into it over many months.

"I think the Green Party was actually more ready for this general election than some of the other parties, from the look of it."

That line gets a round of applause, and Ms Denyer also gets a giggle when she says they are standing more candidates at this election than the Tories.

On substance, Ms Denyer acknowledges that their spending plans are "ambitious", but argues they are "the only party being honest that that's the level of investment needed to get the kind of public services we need".

Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay says their manifesto "rejects the pessimism of other parties".

Introducing the manifesto alongside Carla Denyer, he said: "This manifesto isn't more of the same.

"It is a look at what things could be like, and soon, if we are willing to invest in what is necessary and be bold and ambitious.

"We reject the pessimism of the other parties who don't believe we can safeguard our publicly funded health system.

"That we can't provide warm and secure homes for everyone.

"That tackling the climate crisis is too challenging for us.

"We reject this pessimism."

'People are working harder yet getting poorer'

Ms Denyer then added that the party planned to "transform the economy for good", saying Britain couldn't go on with a situation where most people are "working harder yet getting poorer."

To whoops and cheers from the audience, she then announced that they would nationalise the railways, water companies and big five energy companies.

Mr Ramsay acknowledged the party wouldn't be in power after the election, but said the party would push a Labour government to "stop backtracking on their promises" and drive them to be "braver, more ambitious and not to take timid baby steps towards change".

The Greens are launching their manifesto in East Sussex as the party continues its push to win a second seat in this general election.

We're expecting them to start in the next five minutes or so.

The party is targeting at least four seats in this election - including Bristol Central, which is being defended by Labour shadow cabinet minister Thangam Debbonaire.

Co-leaders Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay will be unveiling their key pledges, and reiterate their aim is to push a potential Labour government into being more radical than Sir Keir Starmer appears to want to be.

Watch live on Sky News, in the stream above or the feed below - and follow live updates here in the Politics Hub.