“I am proud to have been chosen as the Leader of the Green Party in Northern Ireland. I look forward to serving the Party in this new role and taking us forward into the next election when we will give the people of Northern Ireland a viable alternative to the failed politics of the past.My first task as Green Party Leader will be to put to bed the myth that the Green Party is a single issue party. While we were born out of the environmental movement our aim has never been to put environmental concerns above all others.

The Green Party wants to see all political decisions based on whether they are good for the economy, good for people and good for the environment. That should be the benchmark, but too often the economy is prioritised at the expense of people and the environment in which they live. The economy must serve the people, not the other way around. We need economy for people and planet.

That is the basis of the Green New Deal. Two years ago I introduced the concept of the Green New Deal during the European elections and the Green Party vote tripled. Since then the Green New Deal has received cross party support in the Assembly and was recently included in the draft budget. I have to say, when my old economics teacher Sammy Wilson described the Greens as “bearded, sandal wearing, guardian reading, muesli eating environmentalists” I never thought that two years on he would be stealing our policies.

The very fact that Green Party economic policy is now being proposed at the highest levels of government shows that not only are the Greens champions of the environment, but we also have the solutions needed to create jobs while also improving the living conditions of the people of Northern Ireland.

However it is important that the Green Party is in the Assembly to ensure that words are followed by action. We need to see delivery on Green New Deal initiatives such as the insulation scheme which will create jobs, reduce household bills and reduce carbon emissions. A policy that reaches that benchmark of being good for economy, people and planet.

My second task as Green Party leader will be to lead the fight against the brutal attack on our public services and the workers who provide them. The same people who promised to fight the cuts at Westminster are now proposing to implement them here in Northern Ireland. But here, just as in Westminster, the cuts agenda is driven by political ideology not by economic necessity.

There does not have to be job losses, Northern Ireland still has choices. This is not only my view but it is a view shared by economists such as Neil Gibson, Director of Oxford Economics. We have choices and we have to be honest about what those choices are. We can either raise revenue or we can cut jobs and services. People aren’t fools; they know that these are difficult times and they want honesty from their politicians.

The Green Party is prepared to grasp the nettle and say that we must raise revenue to protect jobs and vital public services. But we most do so in a way that is fair and protects those on the lowest incomes. Those who have benefited most from the good times must shoulder more of the burden during the difficult times. We will outline our proposals in detail in our election manifesto, but rest assured, the Green Party is ready to make the difficult choices that are necessary to boost our economy while still protecting people and planet..

Finally I’d like to thank Brian Wilson for his mentoring over the last three years and for the service he has given to the Green Party and the people of North Down as a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly. As you know Brian will not be standing again for the Assembly, but I have given him my commitment that I will do all I can to ensure that the legacy he leaves is a Green Party Assembly seat in North Down. That is my third task.

Thank you.”