Five things Green Party co-leader Jonathan Bartley told Newsbeat

Author, Jonathan Blake
Role, Newsbeat politics reporter
30 May 2017

Green Party co-leader Jonathan Bartley wants you to "vote with your heart".

Speaking to Newsbeat at a rally in Bristol, Mr Bartley said voting for a smaller party like his "sends a message" that change to the political system is needed.

We are speaking to the party leaders hoping to win your vote when the general election is help on 8 June.

Here are five things Jonathan Bartley told us.

Donald Trump 'will be defeated'

Image source, Getty Images

The president of the USA calling man-made climate change is a "hoax" will not stop a global deal on climate change from succeeding, Jonathan Bartley said.

But he admitted these were "bleak times" with "climate change deniers coming to power".

"The world is bigger than Donald Trump, the movement against tackling climate change, particularly among young people who are so passionate about this issue, I think that's unstoppable.

"Whatever Donald Trump does, he will be defeated."

We should only work four days a week

If the Greens were in charge we'd all get an extra day off per week.

The party wants a four day working week to allow people to "spend more time with their families", Mr Barley said.

"We've had wealth created, technological advance but what we've seen is growing inequality with big corporations sucking money out of the economy.

"It's time to go and get that back."

The Greens should have 24 MPs but they only have one

The system is against the Green Party, according to Jonathan Bartley.

He says the share of vote the party gets on a national level should determine how many Members of Parliament it has, rather than having to win a majority of votes in each constituency to get an MP.

But a vote for the Greens is still worthwhile, Mr Bartley said.

"Vote with your heart for the greens and that sends a very, very strong message to Westminster about the kind of country we want to have in the future."

Two leaders might be better than one

Jonathan Bartley shares the job of Green Party leader with Caroline Lucas, the party's only Member of Parliament.

Job-sharing is something that happens in other professions, and according to the Greens it's time politics "caught up".

"The idea is to think of new ways about how we do jobs generally in the economy and also in political life.

"My own situation is that I have a son who I need to support who's disabled, I wouldn't be able to do a full time lead role, but I'm able to do it with our MP Caroline Lucas."