Newport woman misses out on Green Party leadership (From South Wales Argus)

Newport's Pippa Bartolotti has missed out on Green Party leadership

10:42am Monday 3rd September 2012 in Gwent news

Pippa Bartolotti

Newport's Pippa Bartolotti has missed out on becoming the new leader of the Green Party.

The Green Party this morning unveiled its new leader in England and Wales as Natalie Bennett, following the decision of Green MP Caroline Lucas to step aside as head of her party.

The contest was launched when the Brighton Pavilion MP announced she would not run for leader again following the end of her second two-year term.

Ms Bartolotti was born in Cornwall and lived in Bristol, Somerset and London before settling in Wales to bring up her family.

In the past she was chief executive officer at Encrypta Electronics in Newport and also worked as in the Welsh Development Agency and the Welsh Government.

Over the years Ms Bartolloti has lived in Cuba and has driven a convoy of humanitarian aid across Europe to Gaza.

Last year Ms Bartolotti spent five days in an Israeli prison after travelling out on a peace-making exercise in the West Bank.

Ms Lucas, who became her party's first and only MP after election to the Commons in 2010, said she wanted to give the opportunity for more of the Greens' talent to come to the fore.

Green Party equality rules mean of the two posts, a man and a woman must be elected.