Green Party has strongest UK election for a generation

The UK General Election has seen the strongest showing from the Green Party in a generation with Natalie Bennett’s party holding onto Brighton and achieving their first ever second places in a General Election.

Caroline Lucas has been reinstated as MP for the Brighton Pavilion constituency, capping a strong performance across the UK with voters registering their concern for climate change and environmental issues.

In an election dominated by a surprise victory for the Conservative Party, the Greens were runner-up to Labour in Liverpool Riverside, Manchester Gorton, Sheffield Central and the target seat of Bristol West, where Darren Hall took almost 27 per cent of the vote.

Bennett’s party also kept a record number of deposits and beat the Liberal Democrats in a number of seats.

Green Party membership has risen to over 62,000 in England and Wales reflecting a historic campaign.

In Brighton, Lucas secured 42 per cent of the vote, comfortably ahead of Labour’s Purna Sen in second place with 27 per cent, an 11 per cent swing to the Greens compared to the 2010 results.

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."

Lucas promised to maintain a "clear Green voice" in Parliament and added that "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."

Any optimism within the Green Party of winning some influence over a minority government looks to have gone though with the Conservatives defying early polls to put Prime Minister David Cameron’s party on course for a majority in parliament.

Bennett (pictured) failed to win her target seat of Holborn and St Pancras, coming in third place behind Labour and the Tories but the leader of the Greens assured voters that the "Green surge has only just begun".