BBC: There will be people listening to the interview tonight, who will be well aware of your history, that know you are currently suspended by the green party prior to this announcement of yours today, because as we've highlighted on this programme before and as we've spoken to you about before, you've run your deputy leadership campaign before, which you've had to suspend, this after finding out your father had acted as an election agent whilst facing a child rape charge. There will be some hearing this, thinking this is sour grapes by you, that you are jumping before you are pushed by the party in this current period of suspension that you are in. How do you respond to that
AC: I've made it quite clear that my father's crimes were horrific and atrotious and I've apologised for appointing him as my election agent. And originally the statement that the green party put out, they said that they were supportive of me in that. So its definitely not sour grapes. There are some great people in the green party that I consider close friends, however what we've done is got to a point as a party that our messaging, especially on trans rights rights is falling behind, and its no longer the party that I joined in 2014. I had, I'd stated publically, when I was suspended that I will, work with the investigation, that is still true because I beleive that there were some massive safeguarding failures within the party.
I informed the party in 2016 of the arrest. I wasn't aware of the full details of the case myself. And I wasn't until the start of this month.
BBC: Lets just clarify that ok, so when did first hear that your father faced these charges
AC: I wasn't aware of the exact charges until earlier this month. I knew that he had been arrested for a number of serious offences. I fed that back to the party, in November 2016
BBC: So there was no part at which you and your father had a conversation which you said 'Dad, whats this all about'?
AC: I as was made clear in my statement, I was coming out of care at the time. I was also coming out as a trans women. I wanted...
[interruption by bbc i can't quite make out]
AC: No not at the time of the inital arrest, no I wasn't. It was quite a shock to me. I didn't actually move back home until last year and right before the general election. And so I moved home, and I attempted to build bridges with my family after several years in care away from my family, and for me it seemed the obvious thing 'oh my dad's good at paper work and he enjoys politics, lets appoint him my agent'. In hindsight that was a mistake and its a mistake I can only apologise for, I can't go back and undo it now. But I've apologised. And I've said that I said by what I've said that I will work with the investigation, by the green party and who have contracted out to verita.