'We have to offer a counter narrative': New deputy Green leader plans to challenge Reform and Labour

Mothin Ali was elected this week alongside Rachel Milward to be deputies to leader Zack Polanski.

"Let’s be clear, people are not voting for Reform because they love Reform.

"They’re voting because they’re fed up of the two party system and see a party offering an alternative.

“As long as we can get our message across and offer a real, viable alternative with positivity, then those voters will vote for something positive rather than negative every time. I trust the British public."

In recent weeks we’ve seen protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers across the country the country, including in Leeds where Mr Ali is a serving Councillor.

This summer, he and his family were subjected to racial abuse whilst on holiday in Norfolk.

“We heard people shouting ‘Get out of our country’ and we had beer bottles thrown at us. They were continually hurling racist abuse and then one of them exposed himself to my children,” Mr Ali told LBC.

“This kind of racist vitriol has been created by people at the top peddling hate.

"People like Nigel Farage, Rupert Lowe, Tommy Robinson. They’re creating an environment where this behaviour is becoming normalised.

“We have to make sure we offer a counter narrative."

As well as rallies outside hotels, there has been debate over the England flag, with some people taking it upon themselves to hang the flag on lampposts, on motorway bridges or even paint them on to roundabouts.

Mr Ali says whilst everyone has the right to fly the flag, it can be problematic when it’s weaponised.

“I fly the England flag when the football team is playing and I’ll wear my England shirt. But patriotism isn’t just about sticking a flag on a lamppost or painting a roundabout whilst drinking a can of Stella.

“I’ve got people in my ward in Leeds who cook food at home and go out and feed people who are less fortunate. That’s patriotism."

It’s not just the right that the Greens have an eye on either. Form Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and MP Zarah Sultana are in the process of setting up their party on the left.

Mr Ali believes they can work together.

“I’ve got great respect for Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana. Incredible figures. I would have loved them to join the Greens, that would have been my first preference!

“There will be cases where both parties are targeting seats. We have to work out a deal to make sure we don't split the left vote.

“They want to be a democratic party of the left. They want membership. Well, that’s us. There’s a lot we’ve got in common, but we don't know what their party will look like. There’s a lot of uncertainty and right now we are certainty."

The latest YouGov Poll suggests 10% of voters would back the Green Party.

That’s still half of the number who would vote for Labour, and 18% below those intending to vote for Nigel Farage’s Reform party.