Greens Win!

Brighton Pavilion seat won by Party Leader Caroline Lucas

Top three parties at a glance

Constituency Swing

8.4% From LAB to GRN

Caroline Lucas will be Britain's first Green Party MP after winning the Brighton Pavilion seat.

Ms Lucas, the leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, notched up a majority of 1,252 over her nearest rival, Labour's Nancy Platts.

She said the people of the constituency had made history by propelling her party to power on a swing of 8.4%.

"Thank you so much for putting the politics of hope above the politics of fear," she told them.

"I pledge that I will do my very best to do you proud," she said, adding: "For once the word historic fits the bill."

Ms Lucas previously said a hung parliament would be "interesting".

"Both in terms of perhaps increasing our chances of getting a fairer electoral system, so that people's voices are properly heard. But also of course in giving the Greens that bit more influence.

"So, I think these are pretty exciting days ahead," she told Eco.

The party had had 200 people campaigning in Brighton on Thursday to ensure those who had said they would vote Green did so, she said.

"Tonight the people of Brighton Pavilion have made history by voting Britian's first Green MP to Westminster." She added that the result was a triumph of hope over fear.

Around the country, early indications suggested the party polled more than 200,000 votes which, if proportional representation were to be introduced, would be likely to give them more seats.

In a sign of the party's growing influence and support the Greens fielded more than 100 candidates in the election and already ahve 126 councillors spread around 43 local authorities.

The victory in Brighton ends Britain's status as the only major European country never to have had a Green MP. There have, however, been Green MEPs from Britain.

Zac Goldsmith, the millionaire former editor of the Ecologist magazine and green adviser to the Tory party, took the Richmond Park seat for the Conservatives from Susan Kramer, the Liberal Democrat.

He overturned the Liberal Democrats' 3,700 majority but said the poll had "gone down to the wire", adding: "I don't think anybody would have wanted to call the result at all until a few minutes before it was called."

Despite his party allegiance he said he welcomed the election of Ms Lucas for the Greens in Brighton.

"The presence of a more green-thinking Parliament is a good thing," he said.

Caroline Lucas, the leader and an MEP, beat her Labour and Tory rivals in the Brighton Pavilion seat with a 1,252-vote majority.

The result is a landmark for the Greens, who have built on growing support at a local and European level to take their first ever Commons seat.

“This isn’t just a moment with just one MP out of 600 or more – it’s when a political party takes, for the first time, its rightful place in our parliament,” Dr Lucas said in her acceptance speech.

“After people’s faith in politics has been trampled into the mud by the expenses scandal it’s not the best time to ask people to take a risk and put their faith in politics. We asked the people of Brighton to do that tonight we have their answer. For once the word ‘historic’ fits the bill.”

The Greens have had a strong showing in Brighton for many years. In the 2005 General Election, they secured almost 22 per cent of the vote, pushing the Liberal Democrats into fourth place. The party had 13 seats in Brighton’s last City Council, putting it in joint opposition with Labour.

The party promoted its radical economic policy in the bohemian seaside city, focusing on its opposition to the main parties’ spending cuts and plans to create new jobs in sustainable industry. They pledged a £170-a-week state pension and would impose a permanent tax on bankers’ bonuses.

The election campaign was a hotly contested three-way race between Labour, which previously held the seat, the Conservatives and the Greens.

Former unionist Nancy Platts fought hard to portray herself as a left-wing radical, citing her opposition to the Iraq war and the renewal of Trident, but came second to Dr Lucas in the “alternative” city.

Conservative candidate Charlotte Vere, a London-based businesswoman and Cameron A-lister, came a surprise third in the seat, despite the two neighbouring constituencies turning Tory.

Dr Lucas, 49, a former Oxfam advisor, has led the party since 2008 after successfully campaigning to abolish the previous system of joint spokespeople.

She has been a member of the European parliament for the South East of England since 1999, but will relinquish the role now that she has been elected a constituency MP.

Caroline Lucas - The new politics - Independent - 25/5/10