Credit: JJ Waller
Politics
“I couldn’t walk away from what I do”: Sian Berry on the climate crisis and the Green New Deal
11 months ago
7 min read
The Green MP candidate Sian Berry talks to Stylist about the importance of transparency in politics, the Green New Deal and why the Rubik’s Cube is a great way to keep your brain sharp and focused.
As May’s local and mayoral elections loom on the near horizon, you may be starting to think about your vote and what each of the political parties is standing for locally. These elections will serve as something of a litmus test for the major parties, especially in the run-up to the general election – gauging how the public feels about them and, more importantly, if people trust them or not.
For this week’s edition of Answer The Question, I talked to Sian Berry, the former co-leader of the Greens and current London Assembly member. She has served as a London Assembly member since 2016 and was the Green party candidate for Mayor in 2008, 2016 and 2021, coming in third place in the 2021 mayoral elections. Replacing Caroline Lucas, Berry will be standing as the Green candidate for Brighton Pavilion at the next general election.
Here, Berry talks about the importance of transparency in politics, the Green New Deal and why the Rubik’s Cube is a great way to keep your brain sharp and focused.
What’s the most pressing issue for women right now and what are you doing about it?
“In my experience, it’s housing. It’s at the heart of everything, and there is a gender pay gap in the renting market as rent prices tend to be set on the basis of median wage, so it’s baked into the system. Even when women do have access to affordable homes – which are in short supply – they have to navigate issues of overcrowding. If you’re in the private rented sector, you’re paying extremely high costs and are likely living in extremely overcrowded situations for years on end. It’s a human right to have a safe roof over your head and live in decent conditions. But this human right is not embedded in policies or put into practice. It’s awful; it’s not looked at as a women’s issue but it really is.”
What’s the one thing you want to achieve in your role?
“It’s the Green New Deal. We’re long overdue for an overhaul of our climate change policy, covering things such as insulating people’s homes, installing green energy and creating new jobs. We also need to tackle transport issues, build on social justice and create a more resilient economy for the future – an economy that doesn’t rely on imported fossil fuels and focuses on local control and community ownership.
“I’m disappointed that Labour is no longer backing the Green New Deal, but we’re big believers in it and a vision of a different society that prioritises the planet. I want to work with MPs and campaigners to ensure that we can make this deal a reality. And I’ve made that commitment to young people too. I’m proud to work with Green New Deal Rising on campaigning for a better future.”
What’s been your most memorable day in politics so far?
“It was back when I was co-leader of the Greens and we were waiting for the results of the 2019 local elections to come through. I’d only been co-leader for a few months and one of my roles was to go on TV and radio during the night as the results were filtering through. We were already aware of some of the possible gains for the Greens, but nothing was certain. But that night, not only did we gain councils but we also broke new councils that we weren’t expecting. We more than doubled our councillors overnight. I also want to give Natalie Bennett huge credit for her work in the Greens leadership and for pushing the party forward in politics and bringing new people into the party.
“It felt like the start of a new chapter for the Greens and it was a joy and honour to represent the party that night. I didn’t even mind staying up until 6am.”
How do people react when you tell them you’re a politician?
“It’s often me knocking on their doors, introducing myself as their new MP candidate. But if I get talking to people when I’m doing my food shop or running errands, I will usually tell them quite reluctantly that I’m a politician. It tends to be a mostly positive response and they usually pitch their ideas to me or tell me about an issue that’s bothering them. People are really keen to have their say, and that’s how it should be.”
Do you have a constituent in mind when you’re standing up representing them in parliament?
“Always. It’s one of our principles. In the London Assembly, I work with Caroline Russell and Zack Polanski and we have this written down as one of our working principles – ensuring our ideas are coming from the people of London. It’s our job to bring their voices into City Hall. Almost every single time I’m speaking about an issue or policy, I’m doing it on behalf of someone who brought this to me as a problem, idea or campaign.”
What piece of criticism as a politician has stuck in your mind?
“I particularly dislike it when people make criticisms about my appearance. I feel as though it’s something women have to tolerate in politics, but it really sticks with you. I remember I met a famous columnist many years ago at an event he was covering for his newspaper, and in his piece, he mentioned me and wrote that it looked like I’d put on make-up in the dark because my eyeliner had smudged. That’s all he had to say about me or my work. I was absolutely gutted. This journalist had decided that the most interesting thing about me was not the work I was representing at the event, but my smudged eyeliner.”
What was the last lie you told?
“So, my mum’s coming to visit me later today and she’s staying with me for a week. I’ve definitely lied about how tidy and organised my flat is and what it’s usually like.”
How do you keep your brain sharp?
“I do a lot of Rubik’s Cubes. I learned how to do a basic one a few years ago and I’ve moved on to some of the more complicated ones. I’ve got a mirror cube, which I highly recommend. It’s much harder to solve but it’s so satisfying. I’ve become known for them among my friends and family, and I tend to be gifted quite a few of them now.”
Why should a voter trust you?
“Because we reject vested interests. We just don’t have any. We take our principles very seriously and are transparent. I think far too many politicians have a vested interest. They take money from people who then want to influence their policies, and some of them do it incredibly explicitly. I try to promote openness and transparency in everything we do. As a party, we have strict rules on who we take money from and, more importantly, that it doesn’t mean they’ll be receiving something in return.
“Recently, I’ve started to publish the meetings I have with campaigners and lobbyists, and I’m trying to persuade my colleagues and other parties to do similar. It holds you accountable, and it’s just good practice.”
What would make you walk away from politics?
“I don’t think I would walk away; I feel like I had an awake moment. One of my first jobs was as a medical writer, writing to doctors about how different cold medicines work. I realised I was working for a big pharmaceutical company, and some of what I was doing was trying to market drugs for things that shouldn’t necessarily be medicalised. For me, it was eye-opening. Ever since, especially now that we know what we do about climate change, I couldn’t walk away from what I do. I’d go further and say being awake to things is a good state and we should almost try to reclaim ‘woke’. What’s bad about being alert, awake and seeing what’s really going on? So, now that I know what needs to be done, no, I’m not going anywhere.
“But I do think I was a successful campaigner, on getting 4x4s off inner city streets, securing funding for young people and, of course, on climate change, and if I spent the rest of my life as a campaigner, I think it would be time well spent.”
What keeps you awake at night?
“I work hard so I’m usually very tired by the end of the day, and I tend to fall asleep quite quickly. But if I have to get up for an early morning interview or event, I struggle to sleep. My brain is wide awake because I’m going over things in my mind and I know I have to wake up early.”
Answer The Question is Stylist’s home for all things voting and elections. In the series, we sit down with MPs from across the political spectrum to get to the heart of who they are and, more importantly, why we should trust them with our vote.
Image: JJ Waller
Sign up for the latest news and must-read features from Stylist, so you don’t miss out on the conversation.
By signing up you agree to occasionally receive offers and promotions from Stylist. Newsletters may contain online ads and content funded by carefully selected partners. Don’t worry, we’ll never share or sell your data. You can opt-out at any time. For more information read Stylist’s Privacy Policy
Thank you!
You’re now subscribed to all our newsletters. You can manage your subscriptions at any time from an email or from a MyStylist account.