The Green Party is tonight celebrating a spectacular election result that has seen its number of members of the European parliament in England double, rising from three to seven.
The first Brussels Green Party representatives were elected in the Eastern, North West, West Midlands and Yorkshire and Humber regions. Greens seats were retained in London, the South East and the South West, where MEP Molly Scott Cato was re-elected.
The party finished fourth in the total vote, above the Conservative Party, the first time the Greens have beaten the Tories in a national election.
Sian Berry, co-leader of the Green Party, said: “Following on from our spectacular local election results where we more than doubled our representation, tonight’s result is proof of the size and power of the Green Wave that is sweeping across the country.
“Our message of ‘yes to Europe, no to climate change’ clearly resonated strongly with voters, many of whom will have been casting their vote for our party for the first time.
“We topped the poll in Bristol, Norwich and Brighton and Hove, and scored brilliant seconds in Sheffield, Cambridge and Oxford.
“We’ll be sending a wonderful team of people to Brussels who’ll be working for the transformation of our society so that it delivers the promise of a social Europe, one that cares for and supports its people, while living within the physical limits of our one fragile planet.”
Sian added: “There is clear evidence from this of strong support for the UK remaining in the European Union, but also for tackling the causes of Brexit – the massive damage done to so many communities by austerity, tax-dodging and diminution of workers’ rights.”