Green candidate Jenny Jones has come third in this year's London Mayoral elections.

The Green vote on the London Assembly was also the third highest, meaning the party has overtaken the Liberal Democrats to become London's third party.

The Greens also finished in the top three in five constituency elections.

Jones said: "This is a wonderful day for Green politics.

"The almost exclusive focus on the two frontrunners in the Mayoral election meant that any other result was very unlikely, but our resolutely positive campaign has stuck to the issues affecting Londoners and the policies to address them.

"I am over the moon that these messages have resonated. We've been able to dispel the myth that when times are tough, green politics are a luxury. More and more Londoners are realising that social and environmental justice are tied together inseparably, and with more Assembly members the Greens can help ensure that the Mayor is held to account on his promises and that City Hall can help create a city more equal, affordable, healthy, and safe for everyone.

"And we know that this campaign has attracted some wonderful bright, dedicated and loving young people to the party, who will pick up the torch and carry it forward in the interests of London's future."

Jones received 98,913 votes compared to 91,774 to Brian Paddick in fourth place.

On the Assembly, the Greens received 189,215 votes compared to the Liberal Democrats on 150,447.

The Greens came third in Barnet and Camden, City and East, Greenwich and Lewisham, North East and South West constituencies. 

Green Party Member of the European Parliament Jean Lambert urged voters to get out and vote for Jenny Jones and the Green Party in today's London elections.

Lambert said: "Jenny's track record as an Assembly Member speaks for itself.

"Whether revolutionising cycling in our city, helping to create the first registration of same-sex partnerships or securing massive increases in the budget to fight climate change, Jenny's work demonstrates that Greens keep their promises when elected.

"A vote for Jenny is a vote for a fairer, more equal and more affordable city that leads the world on climate change.

"But just as important is the vote for the London Assembly, where Green members can continue to hold whomever is elected Mayor to account and ensure City Hall works in the interest of Londoners and this wonderful city."

Green Mayoral candidate has appealed for Londoners to vote Green on the Assembly in Thursday's elections to help make the capital more equal, healthy and affordable for everyone.

Jones' received campaign received another boost on Tuesday as another poll rated her in the top-three candidates for the Mayoral elections.

However the Greens' campaign remains focused on the Assembly, where they hope to increase their representation from 2 existing members.

Jones said: "It is very satisfying that, however unreliable the polls may be, that they indicate that more and more Londoners relate to our Green vision for the capital, and our first top-three finish in the Mayoral race would be a coup in itself.

"But with Londoners taking to polls tomorrow, the figures also suggest that this is very much a two-horse race.

"I would encourage anyone frustrated by the personality politics of the campaign and the inaction of the Mayor's office over key issues such as housing, the cost of living in the capital and crime-and anyone who seeks a true alternative-to vote Green on the orange ballot paper on Thursday, to elect more Green assembly members and help create a more equal, healthy and affordable city for everyone."

The Greens major campaign promises are:

- Making London more equal with a job or apprenticeship for every young unemployed Londoner, and a Fair Pay Mark for companies.
- Making housing affordable with new housing, the refurbishment of more than a million homes to cut energy bills and a radical shakeup of the private rented sector.
- Brining down fares so that public transport is always cheaper than driving and make suburban rail services more regular.
- Let's transport our streets by reducing traffic in congested areas, cleaning up London's dirty polluted air and making streets safer for walking and cycling.
- Improving our environment by completing a network of green spaces, planting more trees to cool our streets and generating clean energy from food waste.
- Rebuilding trust in policing with more officers on the beat through greater use of lower-cost office staff and police resources for road safety, not unnecessary surveillance.

The Greens have a long list of achievements on the Assembly, including the Introduction of the London Living Wage unit to tackle poverty pay in the capital and the establishment of a registration scheme for same-sex partners, paving the way for civil partnerships legislation at national level.
Green AMs also successfully opposed the Thames Gateway Bridge, won a massive increase in the Mayor's budget to combat climate change and initiated a revolution in transport in London with strong budget commitments on walking, cycling and road safety.

Lollipop men and women joined Green Party Leader Caroline Lucas MP and Mayoral candidate Jenny Jones in Lewisham on Tuesday to highlight London’s air pollution problem—and the Mayor’s deceptive efforts to cover it up.

Over 4,000 people a year die prematurely in London because of poor air quality; and the campaign group Clean Air in London last week revealed that the capital had the highest levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a toxic gas, of any capital city in Europe in 2010. Levels were comparable with those in Beijing.

Lollipop men and women ushered people away from the road, carrying lollipops with messages directed at Boris Johnson, reading ‘Stop polluting; ‘Stop poisoning’, ‘Stop emitting’, ‘Stop distorting’, ‘Stop ignoring and Stop polluting’.

Jones said: “Air pollution is now the second biggest killer in the Capital and is rapidly emerging as the number one public health issue for Londoners.

“We simply cannot go on as we are. It is a scandal that the response of our current Conservative mayor has been to try and hide the problem rather than take steps to deal with its causes.

“By electing more Green Assembly Members, London can help ensure that this crucial issue is given the attention it needs by City Hall.”

Lucas said: “During the campaign, Jenny has already changed politics for good.

“Her calls for greater transparency of politicians’ pay and tax have rocked Westminster as well as City Hall, and London’s political map has been redrawn by the prominent, consistent involvement of a strong Green voice.

“By voting for Jenny and more Green Assembly members, London can becoming a model for the world in addressing climate change and fighting inequality.”

Green Assembly Members have been campaigning for realistic action to tackle air pollution for many years. The Campaign for Clean Air in London have said that the party has made “the most strident commitment to air quality” in its 2012 London Manifesto.

The Green Party have issued a 6-minute video on the air pollution problem, entitled ‘Air Pollution: A 21st Century Health Scandal’, including interviews with Simon Birkett, Director of the Campaign for Clean Air in London, Dr David Green from the Environmental Research Group and Dr Frank Kelly, Professor of Environmental Heath, at King’s College London and ordinary Londoners affected by air pollution.

You can find the video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1nta1DOfHM

The Greens manifesto includes an 8-point plan to tackle air pollution:

1. We will make sure that air pollution is monitored in the right places, and warn people about pollution episodes, particularly to vulnerable people such as children and the elderly as part of a campaign to improve the public’s understanding of the problem.
2. We will require all schools, retirement homes and care homes to develop air quality action plans that lower pollution in their local area and protect children and residents during bad air episodes.
3. We will tighten up the Low Emission Zone standards and make sure they are properly enforced through vehicle checks, with a new ban on idling for parked vehicles. Introduce a Very Low Emission Zone in central London to exclude all but the cleanest vehicles.
4. We will retrofit all buses immediately if the technology is shown to work, and make sure that all new buses are low emission hybrid, hydrogen or electric models within one year of being elected, and that the entire fleet runs on this technology by 2016.
5. We will introduce a pay-as-you-drive scheme, to encourage people out of their cars, and provide the necessary investment in London’s public transport infrastructure.
6. We will buy a fleet of low emission taxis for drivers to rent if they can’t afford to buy one, and set-up a clean vehicle fund with low cost loans for small and medium sized businesses to replace dirty vehicles with electric equivalents, offering them a discount on pay-as- you-go driving charges so it is cost neutral.
7. We will work with the Government and Network Rail to reduce emissions from trains and planes. Push for the closure of City Airport, and convert it into the first Community Enterprise Zone. We will lobby to ban night flights over London.
8. We will ensure all planning applications are air quality neutral, and require new developments to reduce air pollution in the most heavily polluted areas.

Green candidate for London mayor says that Boris Johnson is taking unacceptable risks with public health

Jenny Jones today added her voice to campaigns calling for a public inquiry into air pollution in London.

Cabbies Against Boris have called for an independent investigation into the Mayor's Air Quality Strategy after London repeatedly failed to meet EU targets for air quality.

The call comes after the current Mayor Boris Johnson was accused of artificially reducing air pollution readings by using pollution suppressants in the vicinity of monitoring stations, effectively "sticking" pollutant particles to the ground.

Jenny Jones said:

"Air pollution is now the second biggest killer in the Capital and is rapidly emerging at the number one public health issue for Londoners.

"We simply cannot go on as we are. It is a scandal that the response of our current Conservative mayor has been to try and hide the problem rather than take steps to deal with its causes.

"By electing more Green Assembly Members this year, London can help ensure that this crucial issue is given the attention it needs by City Hall."

The Clean Air London campaign this week rated Jenny's manifesto promises on air pollution the best of all the mayoral candidates, scoring her 9 out of 10. In contrast, Boris Johnson scored -2 out of 10.

4Children has announced that Jenny Jones is the candidate that best meets the criteria of their Mayoral Manifesto for Families

The charity said that the Green Mayoral candidate ‘came closest to fulfilling their ten pledges.'

Jones said: "I'm delighted that another knowledgeable and respected organisation have highlighted how our policies meet the interests of those they represent.

"Our manifesto tackles the key issues affecting London's families: combating air pollution that is damaging children's lungs, improving road safety, making housing more affordable and helping local authorities develop solutions on childcare.

"This election isn't just about gets elected Mayor; by voting Green on the Assembly, London can help make sure that City Hall works in the interests of families across the capital."

4Children's Mayoral Manifesto for Families set out the ten things that families said they wanted the Mayor to deliver for them, including:
- Developing a Family Test to ensure all policies from City Hall are family friendly
- Transforming London's children's centres into an integrated network of support hubs for families that span the city;
- Beginning to tackle London's housing crisis by building at least 55,000 more affordable family homes by 2016; and Working with childcare providers and local authorities to develop a flexible childcare scheme to support working parents.

More information can be found here: http://4children.org.uk/News/Detail/4Children-Launches-Family-Mayoral-Manifesto

Recent polling figures have shown that with the Conservative Party likely to reduce its allocation on the London Assembly after the election next week, the Greens could help hold the balance of power next term.

Green Party Mayoral candidate Jenny Jones, who along with Darren Johnson, is one of two existing London Assembly members, said: "The Greens have consistently been able to play a leading role in determining policy at City Hall, and by voting Green on the Assembly in May London can help ensure whoever is Mayor next year is best held to account.

"The introduction of civil partnerships and the London Living Wage, the prevention of the Thames Gateway Bridge and massive increases in the cycling budget and provision all demonstrate that the Greens are able to set aside personality politics and old rivalries to win real achievements for Londoners.

"Whatever the results in the Mayoral and Assembly elections, we will use our influence next term to win real victories for Londoners on the issues that affect them most: making fares affordable, tackling the air pollution that claims so many lives, restoring trust in the police and making London fairer and more equal for everyone.

"As I said yesterday, the polls don't always provide a fair reflection on voting attention-and these aren't even our best results this week-but we are very happy that more and more Londoners are relating to our Green vision for the capital."

""Air pollution is now the second biggest killer in the Capital and is rapidly emerging at the number one public health issue for Londoners.

"We simply cannot go on as we are. It is a scandal that the response of our current Conservative mayor has been to try and hide the problem rather than take steps to deal with its causes.

"By electing more Green Assembly Members this year, London can help ensure that this crucial issue is given the attention it needs by City Hall."

More details can be found here: http://cleanairinlondon.org/london-has-the-highest-levels-of-nitrogen-dioxide-in-europe/

Jenny Jones, the Green Party's candidate for Mayor of London, has been named as the Greenest Mayoral candidate by Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth.

The report praises Jenny Jones's manifesto pledges, including measures to tackle congestion, air pollution and road safety through the road pricing scheme, which it says "would cut fares and traffic levels, helping create the shift to walking, cycling and public transport needed to keep the capital moving."

Jones is praised as understanding "the need to support policies that are win, win, win - environmentally, socially and economically."

The report can be found here.

An article in The Guardian on the report can be found here.

Jenny Jones is again polling third in the London Mayoral elections, according to Comres figures released this morning.

The Green Party candidate received a total of 6% of the vote in the poll, behind front-runners Ken Livingstone and Boris Johnson.

Jones said: "The Mayoral contest is still open and I'm pleased we are being counted in the top three parties this year.

"Polling is of course volatile, unpredictable and often unreliable, but I'm pleased that this election gives the Green Party an opportunity to provide an alternative vision to the Punch and Judy politics that have dominated the race-and British politics in general.

"We're showing ourselves to be the only party willing to stand up for the people of London, their health and their homes, the principles of equality and fairness and helping to ensure London leads the way on the environment and the economy.

"This election is not just about who becomes Mayor. The most important decision Londoners can make next week is to vote Green on the Assembly to ensure whoever becomes Mayor is held to account and City Hall can build a better London for all."
The results can be found here (table 8): www.comres.co.uk/polls/Evening_Standard_London_Mayoral_VI_Apr25th.pd 

Green Mayoral candidate Jenny Jones today launched the Green Party's policies to create a healthier London by protecting health services from privatisation, cleaning up the capital's dirty air and making healthy food more easily available.

Jenny Jones said: "Alongside addressing climate change, promoting equality and making London more affordable, creating a healthier capital is a cornerstone of the Greens manifesto.

"Green Assembly members have scored real successes on healthy food in London and fought hard to improve London's air quality. By electing more Green Assembly Members in May, London can help create healthier lives for every Londoner."

Policies include:

1. Campaigning for a properly-funded, publicly provided health service, opposing attempts to privatise or weaken the NHS.
2. Clean London's air and comply with air quality laws, ensuring that air pollution is monitored in the right places and publicising bad air episodes, particularly to vulnerable people such as children and the elderly.
3. Support and significantly expand London's street markets
4. Reduce fast food outlets near schools by requiring boroughs to create exclusion zones around schools where fast food shops aren't allowed.
5. Make sure every new home has space to grow food, whether in a garden, large balcony, roof garden or allotment.
6. Build more allotments in areas where it is hard to buy or grow healthy food.
7. Help schools, hospitals, prisons and care homes grow their own food, offering more healthy food, and remove all junk food and drinks vending machines
8. Campaigning for better health services in London, including better access to contraception and family planning services, better resources for mental health services both in the community and in hospitals, and free prescriptions, eye tests and dental treatment.
9. Prioritise the reduction of inequality as a key aim of London's Health Inequalities Strategy, because physical and mental health problems more common in more unequal societies.
10. Help millions of Londoners improve their health while saving money by requiring boroughs to map food poverty.

Greens on the London Assembly have already secured cross party support for the Low Emission Zone and other pollution solutions, set up London Food, which has gone on to train almost 2,000 school and hospital catering staff to provide healthy food and supported local campaigns against privatisation and hospital closures.

Darren Johnson said: "Greens are clear about cutting pollution, reducing the gap between rich and poor and defending our NHS, all of which will make London a healthier city."

Other campaign policies include:

1. Making London more equal with a job or apprenticeship for every young unemployed Londoner, and a Fair Pay Mark for companies.
2. Making housing affordable with new housing, the refurbishment of more than a million homes to cut energy bills and a radical shakeup of the private rented sector.
3. Brining down fares so that public transport is always cheaper than driving and make suburban rail services more regular.
4. Let's transport our streets by reducing traffic in congested areas, cleaning up London's dirty polluted air and making streets safer for walking and cycling.
5. Improving our environment by completing a network of green spaces, planting more trees to cool our streets and generating clean energy from food waste.
6. Rebuilding trust in policing with more officers on the beat through greater use of lower-cost office staff and police resources for road safety, not unnecessary surveillance.

Jenny Jones said: "Green Assembly Members elected in May will fight to ensure that every young person in London is offered a job or apprenticeship.

"Green Assembly Members support strong investment and protection of local economies.

"We have already introduced planning protections for small shops through two major investigations. By electing more Greens in May we can boost local jobs, rebalance our economy and build thriving communities."

Policies include:

- Keeping jobs and money in the local economy: Commission research into "buy local" schemes and work with boroughs and trade bodies to promote those that work.
- Supporting independent shops: Lobby the Government to give local authorities more powers to prevent chain stores taking over independent shops, and introduce a presumption against purpose-built supermarket car parks and ensure local shops aren't disadvantaged by parking standards
- Support for enterprise: Focus City Hall's economic development budget on support for small businesses and cooperatives to support their expansion, ensure micro and small businesses are properly represented on London's Local Enterprise Partnership
- Establish a Community Enterprise Zone: Ensuring the infrastructure exists to support small and social enterprises. Maintain the CompeteFor system helping micro and small enterprises bid for public sector contracts.
- Investment in apprenticeships and skills across industries: create at least 150,000 high-quality apprenticeships aimed at young people under 25 playing at least the London Living Wage and call for the Government to make apprenticeships mandatory across a wide range of industries

Green candidate for Hackney, Caroline Allen, said: "Hackney is one of the poorest areas in London, and is in real need of policies to reduce the gap between rich and poor and help young people find employment.

"All of us Greens across London seeking election to the Assembly are determined to fight inequality in the capital and ensure City Hall works in the interests of Londoners themselves."

Other campaign policies include:

Making housing affordable with new housing, the refurbishment of more than a million homes to cut energy bills and a radical shakeup of the private rented sector.
Bringing down fares so that public transport is always cheaper than driving and make suburban rail services more regular.
Let's transform our streets by reducing traffic in congested areas, cleaning up London's dirty polluted air and making streets safer for walking and cycling.
Improving our environment by completing a network of green spaces, planting more trees to cool our streets and generating clean energy from food waste.
Rebuilding trust in policing with more officers on the beat through greater use of lower-cost office staff and police resources for road safety, not unnecessary surveillance

The Green Party has published its most accessible and inclusive manifesto ever for the London mayoral and assembly elections on May 3rd.

Translated into 14 languages the party's policy proposals are also available in Large Print Large Print, Easy-read, audio, British Sign Language and Subtitled versions. Campaign materials such as its London Green News have also been produced in a range of formats, including audio versions.

You can find the materials here. 

A specific ‘accessibility' manifesto also sets out how the Green Party aims to make London an inclusive city. The Party has also produced a customised tube map, showing what the London underground looks like if you have a mobility impairment, which has gone viral across the internet and social media.

"The Green Party's vision is of a truly inclusive capital where those who are too often excluded are placed at the centre of London's life" said the Green Party's mayoral candidate Jenny Jones.

"Our commitment to real equality in London is reflected not just in our policies but the way they are being presented and being made accessible to all Londoners.

"At this election every vote counts because of the proportional system. So every vote for a Green mayor or a Green Assembly member is a vote for an inclusive London."

  The video, entitled ‘Air Pollution: A 21st Century Health Scandal’ includes interviews with:

 
- Jenny Jones Green Mayoral candidate
- Simon Birkett, Director of the Campaign for Clean Air in London
- Dr David Green from the Environmental Research Group and Dr Frank Kelly, - Professor of Environmental Heath at King’s College London
- Ordinary Londoners affected by air pollution.

 
Green Party Mayoral candidate Jenny Jones said: “Air pollution is now the second biggest killer in the capital and is rapidly emerging at the number one public health issue for Londoners.
 
“We simply cannot go on as we are. It is a scandal that the response of our current Conservative mayor has been to try and hide the problem rather than take steps to deal with its causes.
 
“By electing more Green Assembly Members this year, London can help ensure that this crucial issue is given the attention it needs by City Hall.”
 
The Green Party’s 2012 London Elections manifesto includes an 8-point plan to combat air pollution:
 
1.  We will make sure that air pollution is monitored in the right places, and publicise bad results widely, particularly to vulnerable people such as children and the elderly as part of a campaign to improve the public’s understanding of the problem.

2. We will require all schools, retirement homes and care homes to develop air quality action plans that lower pollution in their local area and protect children and residents during bad air episodes.

3. We will tighten up the Low Emission Zone standards and make sure they are properly enforced through vehicle checks, with a new ban on idling for parked vehicles. Introduce a Very Low Emission Zone in central London to exclude all but the cleanest vehicles.

4. We will retrofit all buses immediately if the technology is shown to work, and make sure that all new buses are low emission hybrid, hydrogen or electric models within one year of being elected, and that the entire fleet runs on this technology by 2016.

5. We will introduce a pay-as-you-drive scheme, to encourage people out of their cars, and provide the necessary investment in London’s public transport infrastructure.

6. We will buy a fleet of low emission taxis for drivers to rent if they can’t afford to buy one, and set-up a clean vehicle fund with low cost loans for small and medium sized businesses to replace dirty vehicles with electric equivalents, offering them a discount on pay-as- you-go driving charges so it is cost neutral.

7. We will work with the Government and Network Rail to reduce emissions from trains and planes. Push for the closure of City Airport, and convert it into the first Community Enterprise Zone. We will lobby to ban night flights over London.

8. We will ensure all planning applications are air quality neutral, and require new developments to reduce air pollution in the most heavily polluted areas.
 
The video was produced and directed by Chris Smith, Green Party Assembly candidate for the City and East Constituency. Chris.smith@greenparty.org.uk
 
Ends
 
For more information, contact Joe Williams on 07825511927, @earsopen or joe.williams@greenparty.org.uk.

In response to head of Addison Lee John Griffin's comments on cycling deaths and injuries on London's roads, in which he criticized the views of ‘Green Party candidates and others', Green Mayoral candidate Jenny Jones said:

"These remarks demonstrate a shocking disregard for the lives and safety of London's growing number of cyclists and road users in general.

"To suggest that the victims of road traffic incidents only have themselves to blame is horrifically offensive to the families of those who have lost their lives or been injured on London's roads.

"By electing more Greens to the London Assembly in May, London can make sure our roads can accommodate all road users-including cyclists and pedestrians-rather than this obnoxious focus on the speed of cars.

"I will not again use an Addison Lee taxi and am happy to join those calling for a total boycott of their organisation."

On Thursday The Guardian reported that Addison Lee have donated £250,000 the Conservative Party. 

Green Mayoral candidate Jenny Jones today launched the Green Party's policies for outer London at Wimbledon Broadway.

Jenny Jones said: "Green Assembly Members have consistently stood up for the needs of those living outside of Central London, and by electing more Greens in May we can make sure strategies on transport, housing and pay take into consideration every community across the capital."

Policies for outer London include:

- More train services: work with the Government and Train Operating Companies to ensure that train services start as early as the tube and end as late as the tube with at least four trains per hour for all stations so that Londoners can get home swiftly and safely wherever they live.
- More investment for outer London transport: Start bringing all local neighbourhoods up to a basic level of public transport access to essential local services. Introduce a ring-fenced Outer London fund to invest in areas where half of trips are still made by car.
- Safer streets: Introduce a 20mph limit on all streets where we live, work and shop and put speed limiters on all public service vehicles to reduce danger to pedestrians and cyclists, reduce rat-running through residential areas, smooth and calm the flow of traffic in congested areas, and let parents and their children reclaim quiet residential streets as public space for play.
- Getting children cycling: Expand cycle training in schools, and prioritise improvements to the road network around them, so that an extra 100,000 children and their parents cycle to school.
- Hire bikes further afield: Expand the Cycle Hire scheme north and south to reach all parts of outer London where there is considerable demand.

Green candidate for Merton and Wandsworth, Roy Vickery, said: "Green votes in Merton and Wandsworth constituency will demonstrate that we care about our local environment and creating a secure world for our children and grandchildren.

"Greens on the London Assembly will push for improved cycling and pedestrian facilities which in turn will help enhance our communities. We will also work towards providing affordable sport and recreation facilities for young people, and creating a wide range of local jobs."

Other campaign policies include:

- Making London more equal with a job or apprenticeship for every young unemployed Londoner, and a Fair Pay Mark for companies.
- Making housing affordable with new housing, the refurbishment of more than a million homes to cut energy bills and a radical shakeup of the private rented sector.
- Brining down fares so that public transport is always cheaper than driving and make suburban rail services more regular.
- Let's transport our streets by reducing traffic in congested areas, cleaning up London's dirty polluted air and making streets safer for walking and cycling.
- Improving our environment by completing a network of green spaces, planting more trees to cool our streets and generating clean energy from food waste.
- Rebuilding trust in policing with more officers on the beat through greater use of lower-cost office staff and police resources for road safety, not unnecessary surveillance.

Green Party candidate for Mayor of London Jenny Jones today visited Ealing to meet local voters and reassert her opposition to the High Speed Two railway project.

Along with Green candidate for Ealing and Hillingdon, Mike Harling, Jones met voters to discuss how local residents will be effected by the government's proposals.

At the beginning of March, the government had bought 47 homes in Ealing at a cost of £27 million.

Most of the 338 houses that will be knocked down if the project goes ahead are in London.

Jones said: "HS2 is a terrible plan that can't be justified in environmental or economic terms and must be stopped.

"Residents and other opponents to the scheme are right to feel aggrieved over having their opinions-and quality of life-ignored.

"Many people will be forced to move from their homes to make way for HS2, and the government seems intent on pursuing the project despite the substantial human, financial and environmental cost.

"Investment in public transport is essential but it must be done in a way that benefits everyone. Unless transport within London is improved, any gains on journey times made by high speed services to the capital will be lost on the platform of Euston tube."

The Green's 2012 London Elections manifesto makes a clear pledge to oppose HS2 and lobby for high speed rail services that substantially reduce our reliance on flights, are more energy efficient than Eurostar, that take full account of social costs such as relocation and the loss of social housing, and that provide benefits to people from all walks of life.

Harling said: "£32 billion to get business men to Manchester thirty minutes earlier seems like an insane waste of public funds, particularly when frontline services are being cut."

Green Mayoral candidate Jenny Jones was today joined by Green Party London West Central candidate, Susanna Rustin, as she launched the Green Party's air pollution manifesto and canvassed supporters in Marylebone.

Jenny Jones said: "Air pollution is now the second biggest killer in the Capital and is rapidly emerging at the number one public health issue for Londoners.

"We simply cannot go on as we are. It is a scandal that the response of our current Conservative mayor has been to try and hide the problem rather than take steps to deal with its causes.

"By electing more Green Assembly Members this year, London can help ensure that this crucial issue is given the attention it needs by City Hall."

Susanna Rustin said: "Central London residents are suffering as a direct consequence of mayor Boris Johnson's refusal to take air pollution seriously.

"New research proves bad air episodes are followed by an increase in strokes, and as a mother of small children growing up in Westminster I am extremely concerned about the risk to health especially in the area around Marylebone Road where the air quality is terrible."

"Elect more Green Assembly members like me and we will promise to hold the mayor to account and get tough on the worst polluters."

Greens on the London Assembly have been vociferously critical of ‘Dirty Boris' and his lax attitude towards clean air enforcement. Boris has sent out vehicles to try and suppress the pollution around air quality monitors by ‘sticking' pollution to the roads. This has been termed by campaigners "public health fraud on an industrial scale."

Our 8 points on air pollution:

1. We will make sure that air pollution is monitored in the right places, and publicise bad results widely, particularly to vulnerable people such as children and the elderly as part of a campaign to improve the public's understanding of the problem.
2. We will require all schools, retirement homes and care homes to develop air quality action plans that lower pollution in their local area and protect children and residents during bad air episodes.
3. We will tighten up the Low Emission Zone standards and make sure they are properly enforced through vehicle checks, with a new ban on idling for parked vehicles. Introduce a Very Low Emission Zone in central London to exclude all but the cleanest vehicles.
4. We will retrofit all buses immediately if the technology is shown to work, and make sure that all new buses are low emission hybrid, hydrogen or electric models within one year of being elected, and that the entire fleet runs on this technology by 2016.
5. We will introduce a pay-as-you-drive scheme, to encourage people out of their cars, and provide the necessary investment in London's public transport infrastructure.
6. We will buy a fleet of low emission taxis for drivers to rent if they can't afford to buy one, and set-up a clean vehicle fund with low cost loans for small and medium sized businesses to replace dirty vehicles with electric equivalents, offering them a discount on pay-as- you-go driving charges so it is cost neutral.
7. We will work with the Government and Network Rail to reduce emissions from trains and planes. Push for the closure of City Airport, and convert it into the first Community Enterprise Zone. We will lobby to ban night flights over London.
8. We will ensure all planning applications are air quality neutral, and require new developments to reduce air pollution in the most heavily polluted areas.

As London begins the 100-day countdown until the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, Green Mayoral candidate Jenny Jones has laid her vision for the Games and their legacy.

Jones said: "By the time the new Mayor is elected, there will be little room to change plans, but we can do a few things to promote a more equal, healthy and open Games.

"There is still time to improve accessibility and transport strategy, improve safety for visitors and make the games more open to young Londoners in particular.

"Perhaps most importantly, it is vital we ensure the best possible legacy for these games, ensuring that the Olympic Park is a beacon for London's future and that the Games change the culture of sport in the capital for good."

Green pledges on the forthcoming games include:

- Accessibility: making all bus stops near Games venues accessible and well staffed to help older and disabled visitors.
- Transport: allowing cyclists and buses into the ‘VIP' lanes and creating a 20mph speed limit
- Tickets for youth: giving unused corporate tickets to young Londoners on the day of events
- Safety: open dialogue between government, organisers and the policy to review plans to protect women, minority groups and free speech.

Green pledges on the Olympic legacy include:

- More youth sport: Make starting a youth sports club easier, including help finding pitches and coaches and completing CRB checks.
- Land use for sports: Offer property unused for more than six months to community sports organisations for nominal rent.
- Ethical sport sponsorship: establish an ethical sponsorship pledge for clubs to seek more appropriate sponsors than junk food outlets.
- Community involvement: help sports clubs make greater contributions to their communities before being given public funds.
- Sports culture: Promote supporter-trust owned clubs and encourage less unequal pay amongst non-sporting employees.
- Cycling and walking: Convert VIP lanes to cycle lanes or wider pavements.
- Better environment: deliver a zero carbon and zero waste Olympic Park by 2025 and ensure all green spaces are returned to community use or wildlife habitats.
- Housing: develop at least half of the Olympic Park through a Community Land Trust to give residents more control over their lives