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Greens coming of age, Lucas says Greens coming of age, says Lucas
(40 minutes later)
New Green leader Caroline Lucas has said the party was "coming of age" and expected to secure its first MPs.New Green leader Caroline Lucas has said the party was "coming of age" and expected to secure its first MPs.
Ms Lucas, unveiled as the party's first leader at its annual conference, has also said she plans to draw attention to the party's social justice policies.Ms Lucas, unveiled as the party's first leader at its annual conference, has also said she plans to draw attention to the party's social justice policies.
But she returned to its traditional focus by joining calls for a windfall tax to be imposed on energy companies. In her speech to the London conference she called for a windfall tax on energy companies and a "Green new deal" of investment in energy efficiency.
She added the party switched from two principal speakers as people respond to "a face" better than "abstract ideas". Ms Lucas branded bosses of energy companies energy "robber barons".
Ms Lucas, who has addressed the party's annual conference in London, said she expected to see Green MPs at Westminster in the next two years. She told the conference: "Just three companies - BP, Centrica and Shell - together made £1,000 profit every second over the first six months of this year.
She identified Brighton, Lewisham and Norwich South as target seats. "These corporations are robbing from the poor to give to the rich and they know it. And it's about time they learned that, in a progressive democracy, there is no place for robber barons."
The MEP for South East England beat the only other candidate, Ashley Gunstock, by 2,559 votes to 210 in the leadership vote. It follows her criticism of Gordon Brown for failing to impose a windfall tax on the energy companies.
Face for policies If you are looking for the real progressive force in British politics today it is the Green party Caroline LucasGreen party leader
Ms Lucas told the BBC: "We need to redouble our efforts to get our message across even more urgently. We think that by having a leader we can do that even better." The party leader also used her speech to call for a Green New Deal to deliver public investment in "green-collar" jobs in areas including renewable energy, which she said could create hundreds of thousands of jobs while helping the fight against global warming and cutting fuel bills.
Ms Lucas, 47, said the decision to switch from the previous system followed "the realisation that people don't respond to abstract ideas". And Ms Lucas gave her backing to a programme of free insulation to every home in the UK.
"They respond much more to the people and policies that represent those ideas. We have a face to put to the policies," she said. The party leader told the BBC she expected to see Green MPs at Westminster in the next two years.
She added: "There is a huge number of people out there who want to hear our message and we need to get better at getting it across. She identified Brighton Pavilion, Lewisham and Norwich South as target seats.
The MEP for South East England - the party's candidate for Brighton Pavilion - beat the only other candidate, Ashley Gunstock, by 2,559 votes to 210 in the leadership vote.
'Abstract ideas'
Earlier, Ms Lucas, 47, told the BBC: "We need to redouble our efforts to get our message across even more urgently. We think that by having a leader we can do that even better."
She added the decision to switch from the party's previous system of having two principal speakers followed "the realisation that people don't respond to abstract ideas".
"They respond much more to the people and policies that represent those ideas. We have a face to put to the policies," said the new leader.
Ms Lucas added: "There is a huge number of people out there who want to hear our message and we need to get better at getting it across.
"I want to get our message out about social justice. Everybody knows we're the party of the environment. What fewer people know is that if you are looking for the real progressive force in British politics today it is the Green party.""I want to get our message out about social justice. Everybody knows we're the party of the environment. What fewer people know is that if you are looking for the real progressive force in British politics today it is the Green party."
Windfall tax
However, returning to environmental issues, Ms Lucas strongly condemned Gordon Brown for failing to impose a windfall tax on the energy companies.
''We've been making the argument for a windfall tax on these grotesque profits months and months ago," she said.
"It's absolutely outrageous that say, for example, three companies, BP, Centrica and Shell, together make a £1,000 profit every single second over the first six months of this year.
"I think when ordinary people hear that, when they see how much they are struggling with their own fuel bills, it is is absolutely incomprehensible that Gordon Brown isn't actually taking this argument right to the top and enforcing it.''