Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales group. In September 2008 Caroline Lucas was elected as the party's first leader. Lucas was reelected in 2010 but chose not to stand in 2012, when Natalie Bennett was elected her successor. After Bennett stood down in 2016 Lucas returned as leader, this time sharing the position with Jonathan Bartley. Prior to 1992 six principal speakers were elected annually. The Female Principal Speaker post was won by Siân Berry, without a contest. The Female Principal Speaker post was won by Caroline Lucas, without a contest. Not all regions of the Green Party used the Principal Speaker system. In particular, the
Natalie Bennett Studies at the University of New England and Master of Arts (MA) in Mass Communication from the University of Leicester, graduating from the latter in 2001. She was the first member of her family to attend university. Bennett began her career in journalism in New South Wales, where she worked for various regional newspapers including the "Northern Daily Leader" in Tamworth. She left Australia in 1995, and lived for four years in Thailand where she worked for Australian Volunteers International in the Office of the National Commission of Women's Affairs, before moving to the "Bangkok Post" newspaper, where she was