Councillor who challenged city rioters stands for top Green role

A Green councillor who intervened to stop rioters and received death threats for expressing vocal support for Gaza is running to succeed Zack Polanski as deputy leader of the party.

- Chris Osuh

Mothin Ali, a councillor for Gipton and Harehills in Leeds – a former Labour stronghold – said he wanted to champion working-class communities, challenge the idea of the Greens as a "middle-class party" and ensure it represented "a diverse Britain increasingly threatened by the far right".

Ali, 43, said the support he had received from voters in Gipton, "a traditionally white working-class community", as well as diverse Harehills, reflected unifying concerns and his commitment to all, adding: "We're not playing identity politics games."