Like many other Green Party members, I just got back from the Green Party conference in Brighton, where we were making the case that Brexit is a calamity that we need to reverse. 

To me, the weekend was a huge success, and as a Vice Chair of the European Movement UK, I was pleased to see the Green Party taking direct action to rebuild relationships with Europe. 

For example, a policy motion was passed in support of the UK’s membership of the Council of Europe and the European Convention on Human Rights. Although our support for the ECHR was not in question, given the controversy the government is trying to stir up we thought it was important to make a positive statement about this at conference. 

We also passed an Enabling Motion on updating the Europe Chapter of our permanent manifesto, Policies for a Sustainable Society. This is a way for conference to indicate that they want to see policy in a particular area and framing how it might look. It will also gives Europe priority in the conference agenda for future policy debates. 

Also, the Green Party was praised for being the only party prepared to say publicly that our aim is to rejoin the EU during a panel organised by BfB about how the European Union benefits from environmental regulations, at which I was honoured to speak at. 

The conversation during the panel was an interesting and wide-ranging one with a strongly engaged audience including diplomats from the German Embassy and from Europe House present.

Now that I’m back from Brighton I will continue to use my political position as well as my position in the European Movement to ramp up the pressure and ensure politicians from the other major political parties don’t ignore Europe as we move closer to a general election.  

As a proud member of the Green Party, a former Green Party MEP, and a Vice Chair of the European Movement I am always thrilled to attend conference and meet passionate Greens and pro-Europeans.  

Molly Scott Cato  

Vice Chair of the European Movement UK