The Green Party’s candidate for the upcoming Makerfield by-election is Sarah Wakefield, a Manchester city councillor and head of a sustainable food and farming charity that has attracted scrutiny for its characterization of certain traits as linked to "white supremacy culture."

Wakefield was confirmed as the party’s new candidate following the sudden withdrawal of their original nominee, Chris Kennedy, who stepped down less than a day after his selection. The party cited "personal and family reasons" for Kennedy’s decision. Reports later emerged that Kennedy had been contacted about a social media post he shared, which described a recent anti-Semitic firebomb attack in north London as a "false flag." The Green Party stated that the post did not reflect its views and said Kennedy apologized for any offense caused.

The controversy involving Wakefield centers on her leadership role at Eating Better, a charity focused on sustainable food systems that published a report in December last year addressing the "decolonisation" of the food sector. The document outlines strategies for activists and organizations to confront what it describes as “colonial power and legacies” within the industry.

A notable feature of the report is a graphic listing characteristics identified as part of "white supremacy culture," a concept attributed to U.S.-based activist Caroline J. Sumlin. Among the 14 traits identified are "perfectionism," "defensiveness," "a sense of urgency," "individualism," and "the idea there is one right way to do things." Other attributes mentioned include "power hoarding," "fear of open conflict," "paternalism," and the "worship of the written word." The material suggests these elements are pervasive in certain organizational cultures and calls for efforts to reframe them within a decolonial context.

The report defines "decoloniality" as a movement that challenges Western-centric knowledge systems by elevating the experiences and wisdom of indigenous, racialized, and marginalized groups. It advocates for a "fairer, more connected, holistic approach" to food systems inspired by global movements such as food sovereignty and agroecology.

While Wakefield was leading Eating Better, she was on maternity leave when the report was published and is not named nor expressly linked to the document’s content. There is no indication she has publicly endorsed the report’s framing of these traits.

The Makerfield by-election comes as the Green Party seeks to maintain its presence on the ballot despite recent disruptions within its candidate ranks and emerging controversies connected to past social media activity.