Animal Welfare Party


Animal Welfare Party is a minor political party in the United Kingdom campaigning on an animal welfare, environment and health platform.

History

The party was founded in December 2006 by Jasmijn de Boo, a Dutch national, of Kennington, London, and Shaun Rutherford of Milford Haven, Wales, as Animals Count! The party was registered with the Electoral Commission on 22 January 2007.
In October 2010, Vanessa Hudson was elected as party leader. In 2013, the party changed its name from Animals Count! to the Animal Welfare Party.
In June 2013, Hudson joined leaders from other animal protection parties from across Europe in a meeting in The Hague organised by the Animal Politics Foundation of the Netherlands. At this meeting the animal protection parties of the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Denmark, Italy, Turkey and the UK discussed ways in which they could work together more effectively. Later that month, Hudson announced that the Animal Welfare Party would stand in the London region in the 2014 European Parliament elections. It was one of seven European animal protection parties contesting the 2014 European elections with the aim of returning dedicated representatives for animals to the EU Parliament. This European group of parties became known informally as the EuroAnimal7 and includes PvdD of The Netherlands, PACMA of Spain, PAN of Portugal, Partei Mensch Umwelt Tierschutz of Germany, Djurens Parti of Sweden and Animal Party Cyprus.
In September 2017, the party gained its first elected representative after Alsager Town Councillor Jane Smith defected from the Green Party to the AWP. Smith was re-elected in May 2019.

Policies

AWP's policies for Europe include:
The party has not had any representatives elected. It initially intended to stand in the Welsh Assembly election in 2007. In the 2008 London Assembly election, de Boo stood in Lambeth and Southwark, receiving 1,828 votes. The party sponsored an electoral list of three candidates for the 2009 European Parliament election in the East of England, receiving 13,201 votes.
In the 2010 United Kingdom general election, the party contested one seat, which it did not win. The party sponsored an electoral list of eight candidates for the 2014 European Parliament election in the London region, receiving 21,092 votes. Four AWP candidates contested the 2015 general election. They stood in the 2016 London Assembly election, receiving 1% of the vote. They stood four candidates in the 2017 general election and six in the 2019 general election: none were elected.

Elections contested

The party has never had a candidate elected.

Parliamentary elections

General election, 6 May 2010

Note: Standing as "Animals Count"
ConstituencyCandidateVotes%
Islington South and FinsburyRichard Deboo1490.3

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General election, 7 May 2015
ConstituencyCandidateVotes%
Hackney North and Stoke NewingtonJon Homan2250.5
Holborn and St PancrasVanessa Hudson1730.3
KensingtonAndrew Knight1580.5
PutneyGuy Dessoy1840.4

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Scottish Parliament election, 5 May 2016
RegionVotes%
Glasgow1,8190.1

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General election, 8 June 2017
ConstituencyCandidateVotes%
Hackney North and Stoke NewingtonJon Homan2220.4
Hackney South and ShoreditchVanessa Hudson2260.4
Lewisham DeptfordLaura McAnea2250.4
MaidenheadAndrew Knight2820.5

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General election, 12 December 2019
ConstituencyCandidateVotes%
Bethnal Green and BowVanessa Hudson4390.7
Chelsea and FulhamSam Morland5001.1
CongletonJane Smith6581.1
KingswoodAngelika Cowell4891.0
New Forest EastAndrew Knight6751.3
Ruislip, Northwood and PinnerFemy Amin3250.6

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European Parliament elections

[2009 [European Parliament election in the United Kingdom|2009 European elections]]

Note: Standing as "Animals Count"
Regional listsCandidatesVotes%MEPs
East of England13,2010.80

2014 European elections">2014 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom">2014 European elections

2019 European elections">2019 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom">2019 European elections