Natalie Bennett signals she will run to be an MP again after stepping down as Green Party leader

Exclusive: In one of her last interviews as Green leader Ms Bennett says 'I’m standing down as leader but I’m not going away'

Natalie Bennett has said it is “definitely a possibility” she will run again to be an MP at the next general election, as she prepares to step down as leader of the Green Party after her four year term.

In one of her last interviews at the helm of the party, Ms Bennett said she had achieved what she had set out to do in 2012 – to grow the size of the party and increase its vote share. “I’m standing down as leader but I’m not going away. I’m still planning to keep doing full-time politics.”

“But in the Green party leadership is not a greasy poll where you scramble to the top and cling on, it’s a role that we can share around,” Ms Bennett said as she sat on the edge of a bench in Camley Street National Park – a location she had attempted to film a campaign video for her leadership bid in 2012 but cancelled due to the “noise of sirens, helicopters, trains and lorries made it impossible”.

Asked whether she would stand as an MP again at the next general election, told The Independent: “Yep, that’s definitely a possibility”.

But Ms Bennett, a former newspaper journalist, appeared unsure whether she would run again in the constituency of Holborn & St Pancras, adding: “We’ll have to see what happens”. During the 2015 general election Ms Bennett came a distant third in the constituency with just over 12 per cent of the vote. Keir Starmer, the Labour candidate and former director of public prosecutions, won the London seat with over 50 per cent of the vote share.

“Holborn and St Pancras is an interesting seat because I think it is a seat the Green party can and will win in the future… what we’ve got do is grow around the country and that’s what we keep on doing. One of things I will be concentrating on is the issue of electoral reform.” Ms Bennett said. She added that she will now use her time away from the top of the party to focus on education policy and improving situations for small businesses.

Ms Bennett, who was born in Australia before moving to Britain in 1999, believes she has established the Greens as a party of national force during her four year tenure – and there is some evidence for this. Under her leadership the party’s membership base has quadrupled and during the general election the Greens, for the first time, secured a place in televised debates following a swell of grassroots activism.

But, despite recording 1.1 million votes at the general election, the party failed to take vital target seats in university towns such as Bristol West and Norwich South. The party also lost control of its only council in Brighton and many critics point to her car crash radio interview with LBC for halting the party’s “Green Surge” during the election campaign.

The radio interview, Ms Bennett described, was similar to “being punched in the guts”. At the time she apologised to Green members for giving was she called a “very bad” radio interview. "I didn't do a great job… I had a brain fade, that happens," she added.

On Friday the party, at its annual conference in Birmingham, will elect its new leader or leaders – as Caroline Lucas is running on a joint ticket with Jonathan Bartley – but Ms Bennett has refused to officially endorse any of the seven candidates for the leadership. Voting came to a close last week and Ms Lucas, the party’s only MP, and Mr Bartley, the party’s welfare spokesperson, are widely expected to win the contest.

In total the number of votes cast was 14,764 out of an electorate of 43,087, meaning the contest has broken the record for the highest turnout with just over 34 per cent.

“I think the position of leader, particularly in the Green party, gives you a certain amount of extra clout. People will really listen to you,” Ms Bennett added. “But I think I really believe in democracy and people making their own mind up. I've never endorsed any candidate for any internal election.”

The challenges for the new leader, she adds, are for them to keep up with the rate of change in British politics. "It's very hard. We don't have the same sort of money and resources as other parties do. But I also think this is very much the Green party's time. Climate change, just today, we have got scientists, geologists, talking about the ‘Anthropocene’ that very much being confirmed we have changed the planet as a human race.”

"Just because Labour and the Tory have been the two largest parties for the last century doesn't mean that's going to continue. Political change, real political change, when it happens I believe happens in big jumps. What can be seen as the political mainstream, the political norm, can and does shift very rapidly – and it needs to shift. I believe the Green party, whatever the electoral system, can have a very prominent place in it.

Quick fire

Favourite politician?

“I’m going to have to say Caroline Lucas – and it’s also true. She went there to Brighton Pavilion, took on huge odds. Everyone said Greens never get elected to Parliament – it’s too difficult. She made the breakthrough that’s now opened the way for the potential for so many others.

Least favourite?

I suppose I’ll have to say Nigel Farage… That was the easiest question thus far. I think as I go around the country, the level of xenophobia, the level of racism. We’ve seen the level of attacks, the level of reported abuse rise but that’s because we’ve seen in public discourse… Farage has led British politics in entirely the wrong and dangerous direction”.

Jeremy Corbyn or Owen Smith?

“No comment. That’s a matter for the Labour party members to decide”

Would you rather be stuck in lift with Jeremy Corbyn or Owen Smith?

“I’d rather not be stuck in a lift”.

Michael Gove or Boris Johnson?

“Neither, sorry, am not going to go for either of those. I used to work with Michael Gove at the Times. If you had to have a cup of coffee I would go for Michael. Short, casual conversation.

Best moment as Green leader:

“What I really enjoyed was looking David Cameron in the eye and saying ‘why haven’t you welcomed Syrian refugees to Britain’ and he looked, I think, very uncomfortable at that point and I’m proud of that one. And I also think the famous hug with Nicola [Sturgeon] and Leanne [Wood] and I – what I think will happen, in perhaps 10 or 15 years’ time we might see a whole crop of MPs in Parliament, female MPs, saying they were inspired by that moment to get involved in politics.”

Worst moment?

Well, I suppose that will have to be the LBC interview. When something like that happens you feel like you’ve been punched in the guts – that’s what it feels like. And you feel like you’ve let the party, yourself and everything down. So, yeah that’s tough. One of things that is necessary in all politics but perhaps particularly in Green party politics, when you’re fighting the system, is resilience.

Have you sat on the floors of any Virgin Trains recently?

No – I have got lots to complain about Virgin Trains. I did recently have the air condition dump a load of water on me, in my laptop, on a Virgin Train. It was a couple of months ago.