The party retained 123 deposits, compared with the six it saved in 2010, and achieved second places in four constituencies. Bristol West candidate Darren Hall received a historic upswing of 23%, taking the Greens' vote share in the constituency to 26.8%. The Greens also outpolled the Liberal Democrats in 135 seats. In 2010, they beat them in just one. With such a strong showing in the polls, and just one MP elected to represent the views of over a million Green voters, the party is at the forefront of a widespread call for Proportional Representation.
Green Party leader Natalie Bennett, who won 12.8% of the vote in Holborn and St Pancras, said: "The Green surge has only just begun. Retaining Caroline Lucas, our wonderful Green MP for Brighton Pavilion, and recording 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.
"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we have achieved over one million votes yet not been rewarded with more MPs draws into sharp focus just how unfair and outdated our winner-takes-all voting system is.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 - has already begun.”
Caroline Lucas MP said: 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.”
Top 10 Green Party results:
Brighton Pavilion: 42%
Bristol West: 27%
Sheffield Central: 16%
Hackney North and Stoke Newington: 15%
Norwich South: 14%
Buckingham: 14%
Isle of Wight: 13%
Holborn & St Pancras: 13%
Lewisham Deptford: 13%
Liverpool Riverside: 12%
"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 - has already begun.”
Caroline Lucas MP said: 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.”
Top 10 Green Party results:
Brighton Pavilion: 42%
Bristol West: 27%
Sheffield Central: 16%
Hackney North and Stoke Newington: 15%
Norwich South: 14%
Buckingham: 14%
Isle of Wight: 13%
Holborn & St Pancras: 13%
Lewisham Deptford: 13%
Liverpool Riverside: 12%
