Wales 'last frontier for the Green Party', says its deputy leader

Amelia Womack was a candidate in April's Newport West by-election

Wales is the "last frontier for the Green Party", its deputy leader has said, as the party begins its annual conference In Newport.

Amelia Womack said she was "determined to succeed" in Wales, after local and Euro election success in England.

Key party policies include ending reliance on fossil fuels, more public transport and creating "green jobs".

Ms Womack will address the conference on Saturday, and is standing in Newport West at the general election.

An election is widely expected to be called in the coming months, after Prime Minister Boris Johnson lost his working majority in the House of Commons.

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"In the local elections in England this year we increased our councillors by more than double, we then increased our MEPs by more than double," she said.

In England, the Green Party has an MP, seven MEPs and two London assembly members.

But in Wales it has no representation in Cardiff Bay, Westminster or Brussels.

"Wales is the last frontier for the Green Party but we are determined to succeed," she said.

"Wales have been let down for far too long by an ineffective Labour Party with a lack of ambition for the country, and opposition parties who have failed to energise and motivate voters with an alternative vision."

Caroline Lucas became the party's first MP when she won in Brighton in 2010

Ms Womack said her priorities were plans for a Green New Deal for Wales and tackling the "climate and ecological emergency" while addressing rising inequality in Wales.

The three-day event, at Newport's ICC Wales Conference Centre, runs until Sunday.

Ms Womack was a candidate in the Newport West by-election earlier this year, following the death of veteran Labour MP Paul Flynn.

Labour retained the seat, and she came sixth with 3.9 % of the vote, but points out she tripped the share in the 2017 general election.

She has also been selected to run for the South Wales East seat at the 2021 assembly election, and been Green Party deputy leader since 2014.

An England and Wales party, members in Wales voted against setting up a separate Wales party last year.