Greens retain Brighton Pavilion seat and win over one million votes
*Caroline Lucas increases majority in Brighton Pavilion by 11%
*Green Party receives record number of votes
*Green leader Natalie Bennett: “The fight for a fairer, more democratic voting system begins today.”
Caroline Lucas has grown her majority in Brighton Pavilion by 11%, winning 22,871 votes.
Across the country, over a million people voted Green – more than four times as many people than at any other General Election.
The party came second in four seats, including Bristol West, where Darren Hall received the biggest ever upswing in a General Election in England and Wales – taking the Green vote up 23% to 26.8%.
Greens also retained around 100 deposits and beat the Liberal Democrats in 126 seats. In 2010, they beat them in just one.
Green leader Natalie Bennett, who won a record result in Holborn & St Pancras, said:
"The Green surge has only just begun. Retaining Caroline Lucas, our wonderful Green MP for Brighton Pavilion, and recording at least four second-place finishes puts the Greens firmly on track to make further electoral breakthroughs.
"I am immensely proud to have led the party into a General Election where we have been able to stand more Green candidates than ever before, recorded our best ever share of the vote and saved more deposits than ever before.
"Our astounding membership surge in the last year, which means the Green Party now has more members than both Ukip and the Liberal Democrats, has helped deliver tonight’s fantastic results for the Greens from Hackney to Sheffield.
"The Green Party are the only party that truly stands up for what they believe in and I am delighted to see our commitment to deliver a fair economy, a public NHS and a safe climate has resonated with so many voters. The people have demonstrated their desire to see real change for the common good.
"These election results show that the political landscape has fractured and we now live in an era of multi-party politics where the politics of the future no longer has to look like the politics of the past.
"The fact that we have achieved over one million votes yet not been rewarded with more MPs draws into sharp focus just how unfair and outdated our winner-takes-all voting system is. The fight for a fairer, more democratic voting system – one which recognises the will of the people rather than entrenches the established order - begins today.”
Caroline Lucas said:
“In 2010, Brighton Pavilion showed that a different kind of politics is possible. That you can stand firm by your principles and still be elected.
“And in re-electing me tonight Brighton has made history again. I couldn’t be more proud to be an MP of this wonderful city. I’m completely honoured to be able to represent it again.
“But there’s not a moment to lose. Amid the most savage, targeted austerity cuts in modern history, and with parties set on wringing 'every last drop of oil' from the North Sea, even as climate change accelerates - the urgency of a strong, clear Green voice in Parliament has never been greater.
“We will hold Parliament to account and push for real reform – starting with proportional representation, for a politics that looks far more like the people it’s supposed to represent.
“And we’ll fight for a fairer, greener future – and justice today.”
ENDS