His announcement follows on from Alexandra Phillips, a member of the Green Party's only ruling council group, in Brighton and Hove wanting to be deputy leader.

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Cranie believes the Greens could win seven seats in the next the Euro-elections in 2014 - following a succession of near-misses last time.

He has already been selected to contest the North West Euro-election in 2014. If he becomes party leader the 2014 election would see him go head to head with BNP leader Nick Griffin.

He said: "There's a large sector of the electorate that's vehemently opposed to the austerity agenda, and the only party offering them the policies they want is the Green Party".

Peter Cranie believes the Greens currently have a major opportunity to gather support by emphasising the party's alternatives to the austerity agenda.

The Greens have long argued that the cuts can be avoided, and major government investment made in a Green technological and industrial revolution.

Cranie said he will using work by top economists like (the now almost celebrity) Paul Krugman and Danny Blanchflower who argue for greater public spending as a means of escaping the double-dip recession to prove his point.

Cranie said: "The Tories are using the economic crisis as an excuse to push their small-state ideology.

"The government has got us locked into a downward spiral which is destroying public services and harming the economy.

"Labour has also bought into the destructive austerity agenda. So it's up to the Greens to campaign for a more practical, caring, fairer approach to rescuing the economy and for government investment in job-creation."