- Wales Green Party to send Amelia Womack to BBC Senedd Election debates, in line with the party policy to not be part of all-male panels.
- Wales Green Party say the BBC’s format does not present a fair vision to voters.
Wales Green Party will be represented by Amelia Womack at the BBC Senedd Election debates this week, in line with the party’s policy not to take part in all-male panels. Womack, who is Deputy Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, lead list candidate in South Wales East, and constituency candidate for Newport West will be debating UKIP and Reform UK, instead of Wales Green Party leader Anthony Slaughter.
However, the party say the proposed format of the debates will not present a fair picture for voters. The BBC’s plans mean the debate is split in to two halves, with Labour, Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru and Abolish the Welsh Assembly appearing in one half, and the Greens, UKIP and Reform UK on the second.
Womack said “Although I am excited to get a chance to speak to the Welsh public as part of the BBC debates next week, the format is at best confusing, and at worst detrimental to the fair reporting standards of the BBC.”
“Not only will voters not get the opportunity to see all parties able to win seats debate together and hold the current administration to account, but the split means we are not given parity to parties with similar polling to ourselves”.
Anthony Slaughter, also a lead list candidate in South Wales Central, and constituency candidate for Vale of Glamorgan said “I am proud to send Amelia to represent the Green Party at the BBC Wales debates, as well as ensuring the programme is not exclusively male. It is just a shame the debate won’t truly showcase her potential to be taking a seat in Cardiff Bay this May.”
“We know that on the regional list vote, Greens can win, and that the last seat in nearly all of Wales will be a between Abolish and the Greens, yet we are not being given the parity we deserve.”