Green Party's Andrew Canessa on Harwich and North Essex seat

He gave an insight into Green Party policies and his hopes for July's election.

Environmental issues are front and centre of the Green Party identity, so I first asked about the environment.

Mr Canessa, who is a professor at Essex University said: “We are in a climate crisis and we are facing an unsustainable situation. It really is quite simple – looking at reasonable alternatives.

Sustainability - The issues surrounding sustainability are something that Mr Canessa feels very strongly about (Image: Andrew Canessa)

“For example sustainable travel. I’m not personally for a total ban on air travel but you shouldn’t be able to get to Edinburgh and back by flight.”

Continuing on the topic of sustainable transport, Mr Canessa said: “One thing we do really badly in this country is transportation - we’re very car-orientated.

“There should be reasonable alternatives such as trains and also cycling, which has huge health benefits.

“There’s something about being in a car which isolates you from the world around you.”

Hopeful - Andrew Canessa is excited about the election and to see how many votes the Green Party can gain (Image: Credited)

How would Mr Canessa counteract the issues surrounding car travel?

“I have been living here for almost 30 years," he said.

"There has always been great promise of Colchester being a cycling city but that hasn’t materialised.

“You need cycle lanes on Lexden Road and Southway. We need a coherent policy on cycle lanes and how people get around.

"The high street needs cycle lanes in the opposite direction.

“We should have electric buses, cheaper buses which are coordinated with other transportation systems.

“In my ideal world travel would be run by the city council, subsidised by the city council.

"Buses are perfect for being charged overnight.”

Talking of the importance surrounding renewables, Mr Canessa said: “Renewables are a no-brainer. We are shooting ourselves in the foot in this country by heavily subsidising oil companies and we have done for over 30 years, maybe for ever.

“We need to better insulate our homes. We have a housing crisis. It costs a lot to heat British homes.”

On the topic of clean water, he said: “This is not fantasy politics, it's not this idea of a green utopia.

"It’s really basic stuff. The way we regulate our water companies is just appalling.”

Mr Canessa spoke of whether rejoining the European Union was realistic.

“I think first we need to join the Customs Union and then join the Single Market," he said.

"When the Brexit vote was debated, again and again we said we weren’t leaving the Single Market.

“That has been a disaster that nobody wants to talk about.

"There has been a massive hit to the economy. Small businesses are fuming, large businesses are leaving and deciding to ship production to other countries.

“I was born in Gibraltar, so British but not English, so I feel a part of a bigger European culture.”

“We were lied to. The £350million to the NHS didn’t quite materialise.”

Mr Canessa also spoke of other issues he would look to target, including constitutional reform and proportional representation.

He said: “Labour will win by a landslide, on a minority of the vote.

"They’re not going to hit 50 per cent, it has never happened in this country.”

On tax issues he said: “We are being taxed more heavily than ever and probably the least equitable taxation we’ve ever had.

“This isn’t Green Party policy, but I would cut VAT because it hits the poorest most. I would tax stocks and bonds as well as other forms of wealth other than income.

“We focus a lot on income tax but the richer you are the smaller proportion of tax you are paying.”

With that approach to society, Mr Canessa says you come across more crime and stress.

That leads to companies not having a healthy workforce due to stress, and results in more people claiming sickness benefits.

On the topic of healthcare, Mr Canessa said: “We don’t have a health system, we have a sickness system.

“We need a coherent policy about the general mental and physical health of the population - the kinds of food we eat, the kind of sports our children do, access to mobile phones for children of a young age.

“All of these feed into the health of the population and from a right-wing point of view, this makes them work better and longer.

Mr Canessa said we need a global policy on health, so there is less of a burden on the NHS and its staff.

He spoke further on healthcare, stating: “The Green Party is very clear on de-privatising the health service. It is inefficient and very expensive.

“People make lots of money out of it. It’s not good for me and it’s not good for you.”

“We need major investment in infrastructure – health infrastructure and schooling.

"They are linked. If you invest in schooling, you are producing mentally and physically healthy young people who are going to go on and lead healthier lives and have less of a burden on the health service.

“We are actually a very unhealthy nation.”

On the Green Party in this election, Mr Canessa said: “We have aspirations to get four MPs. But the broader aim is to raise the profile of the Green Party and to increase the proportion of green voters.

“It is about having the opportunity to get our green voices across. I’m disappointed that there is not more of a discussion about green issues, as it is the issue of our time."

Mr Canessa spoke of his campaign efforts so far: “I am looking forward to debating with Bernard Jenkin.

“I think we are about to see a major tectonic shift in British politics and I think there is an opening for us and it is very exciting.”