9 May 2015

Greens want ‘second surge’ after securing 1m votes

Greens leader Natalie Bennett says she plans to build on the surge in party membership in the run-up to the general election, despite her failure to win the Holborn and St Pancras constituency.

Green party leader Natalie Bennett has said she is the right person to lead the “second stage of the green surge”.

She finished third in Holborn and St Pancras but did not follow the examples of Ed Miliband, Nick Clegg and Nigel Farage in resigning her leadership.

She said the party had firmly established itself on the national scene after winning 1.1m votes – up from 285,000 in 2010 – and finishing second in four seats.

Membership surge

Earlier this year Green party membership shot past the Lib Dems and Ukip, piling on more than 2,000 members in a single day.

Ms Bennett said: “We’ve had the first stage of the green surge and what I’m aiming to do from today onwards is build the second stage of the green surge.”

She admitted to being surprised by the overall result of a Conservative majority, and hit out at David Cameron’s party.

“Where we are now is a real cause for concern for the face of the disabled, the disadvantaged in our society, the fate of our public services, and indeed what we are going to be doing about climate change.”