Elected as the Green MP for Bristol Central in 2024, Denyer has established herself as a key figure within the Green Party, previously holding the position of co-leader alongside Adrian Ramsay. Leaving the post last year to focus on Parliament and her Bristol constituency, she has been vocal on a range of issues, from pushing back against anti-immigration agendas to supporting local food banks.
Denyer’s experiences of being a female party leader were the focus of the talk, with WIL asking her questions on several topics, ranging from perspectives about women in leadership roles to Denyer’s own strategies for dealing with political pressure.
Women in Leadership’s Vice-President Helen Su, who interviewed Denyer alongside Conference Coordinator Liv Barnard, said she ‘was surprised how honest and open’ Denyer was, comparing her to previous experiences interviewing MPs.
Discussing her role as co-leader, Denyer explained how she would often become frustrated with the way others overlooked her, an experience she believes could be linked to her gender. ‘People would get my job title wrong more often than they would get it right. And it usually ended in demotion.’
Recounting a demonstration she took part in at College Green, she remembered how she had been announced as ‘deputy leader’ and was then faced with the dilemma of whether to call out the mistake or simply ignore it. When discussing the problem with co-leader Adrian Ramsay, it became clear he had not experienced the same thing, leading Denyer to assume her experience was connected to her being a woman.
Discussions moved on to focus on recent data which suggests experiences of ‘imposter syndrome’ - the feeling of not being ‘worthy’ of one’s position - are higher among female graduates. Denyer completely agreed with this, championing the sentiment ‘fake it until you make it’ and agreeing ‘most people in positions of power have [imposter syndrome] , I reckon.’
Madeline Richards
With a degree in engineering and a background working in the green energy sector, Denyer acknowledged how her career trajectory differs from the typical politician.
Joining the Green Party in 2011 and working as a volunteer, she made her first political wave when she became a leader in the campaign for the University of Bristol to divest from fossil fuels. She later became a Bristol City Councillor in 2015 and decided to run for the Bristol Central constituency in 2024, eventually winning in that year's general election.
Lulu Shasha
Denyer acknowledged how becoming a politician was never her initial intention, however its clear she sees this as a strength. She described an interaction she had with a Bristol politics student at the start of her campaign, who very confidently told her ‘Bristol is a Labour/Lib Dem swing seat’ and the ‘Greens have no chance here.’ When Denyer presented this student with data that challenged these claims, she was told that he had only studied the constituency until 2015.
For Denyer, this interaction exemplified one of the key issues she sees present in politics today, that many people take a ‘spectator view’ of politics instead of being active within it – two very different things.
Meg Stannett
With recent success at the Gorton and Denton byelection, the Green Party appears to be on the rise in the UK, a prospect Denyer feels hugely positive about. While she may no longer be co-leader of the party, her influence is still hugely significant, and she continues to push for the party’s representation on the national stage.
Her talk left two key takeaways – always stand up for and back yourself – and possibly don’t trust an overconfident politics student.
Featured Image: Suzanne Célérier
