Mothin Ali: Leeds councillor elected Green Party deputy leader vows to 'take the fight' to Reform and Labour
A Leeds councillor has said that “politics is at a precipice” after being elected the co-deputy leader of the national Green Party following a campaign in which he vowed to give the party a “northern voice”.
Coun Mothin Ali, who has represented the Gipton and Harehills ward on Leeds City Council since the local elections last May, will now be the joint deputy leader of the party alongside Rachel Millward.
The former deputy, Zack Polanski, has been voted in as the new leader of the party with what has been termed an “eco-populist” agenda.
Coun Ali has attracted national attention since he was voted in as councillor with a majority of over 1,000 votes for his views on Israel and Palestine.
He was also praised after being seen intervening during the disruption in Harehills last July.
In a speech following the election, he said it was a “huge honour” to take on the role, adding: “I hope I can live up to that trust that you’ve honoured me with.”
He went on to say that “politics in this country is at a precipice”, pointing to the “rise of the far-right” and saying that those from minority communities are being “targeted”.
Coun Ali said: “It doesn’t matter which minority you are from - we are being targeted and our fight is one. We’ve got to come together and make sure that we’re ready together to challenge Reform and the rise of the far-right.”
He added: “We need to make Britain a fairer Britain. I’m a councillor in Leeds and in one of the most deprived areas of the country. I get phone calls regularly from people who can’t feed their children, or heat their homes or pay their bills.
“This country is just not working. This Labour government that was supposed to be the change is just not working. We’ve got take the fight to them to make serious change and make real hope and change.”
During his campaign for the deputy leadership role he told the Yorkshire Evening Post that he wanted to see more people from inner-city areas in leadership positions.
He said: “For a long time, the Green Party has been seen as quite middle class. But, in recent years, a lot of working class voters have voted Green, especially in inner-city areas.
“The Greens have predominantly been based down south, but I think it’s important for the party to have a northern voice, someone who has grown up in an inner-city area and has lived an urban lifestyle.
“I believe that we need a fresh outlook compared to the standard approach that the party has taken, which would be quite a radical move.”
Coun Ali said that he was keen to emphasise how climate change will affect everyone, regardless of background.
“Issues like climate change are not being communicated down to ordinary people,” he explained. “In Leeds, there was rainfall in February, but March, April, and most of May were really dry.
“What does that translate to? Poorer crop yields, because farmers can’t water their crops. And what does that translate to? Higher food prices. That impacts directly on the people in my ward.
“Harehills and Gipton are some of the most deprived areas in the city - and in the country. So, we need to make the message clear - what happens globally impacts us very locally.”
Following unrest in Harehills last summer, Coun Ali organised the City of Belonging event, and he said he wanted to put “community at the heart” of his new role.
He said. “I really believe in empowering people and building social cohesion, and I pride myself on working with communities in order to heal division.
“With the sort of rhetoric we are hearing from certain political parties right now, I want to make sure that our communities are moving together - and we’re not letting anyone feel like they’re being left behind.”
Warning that the “Overton window has shifted towards the right”, Coun Ali called for stronger resistance to divisive politics, explaining: “It’s easy to focus on minority groups and say that they are the enemies, but it’s harder to tackle the systematic problems in our society, like poor quality housing, lack of access to opportunities, and health inequalities.”
Before the election, Coun Ali stressed that his focus “is always going to be on ordinary people”, saying: “I put all of my efforts into my local area.
“I’ve got a big heart and I think I could benefit people across the country - but I won’t lose my focus on local issues. I hope that what I’ve done locally can be replicated across the country.”