The Greens have quadrupled their representation in the Commons after the party took three new seats, one from Labour and two from the Conservatives, and held their existing Brighton Pavilion constituency.
In one of the bigger surprises of election night, the Greens expanded their representation beyond their usual urban, Labour-facing heartlands, also taking two mainly rural seats from Conservative competition.
The party’s co-leader Carla Denyer unseated the shadow culture secretary, Thangam Debbonaire, to win Bristol Central by more than 10,000 votes. While the Greens had become increasingly bullish about their prospects, the margin of victory was notably greater than anticipated and will be a major boost to them.
Speaking after her victory, Denyer told the Guardian: “We’re probably on track for a record-breaking vote share in this election. I think it’s because the Green party has been the only party being honest about the state of public services in this country, the level of investment that’s needed, not shy about talking about how we would raise it, and proud of the fact that we want a more inclusive society.
“We want a country that is welcoming and takes a humane approach to migration. I think that resonates with so many people in this country.”
Denyer said the Reform party, which ultimately secured the same number of parliamentary seats as the Greens, offered fear while her party offered hope.
“The Green party offers the opposite to what the Reform party has been offering voters,” she said. “Our policies and our politics offer positive solutions, offer change and offer hope. And that’s clearly gone down well with the electorate.”
Later on Friday morning, the party took North Herefordshire by more than 5,000 votes, an arguably more significant victory given it is a more rural seat where the sitting MP was a Conservative, Bill Wiggin, who had a near-25,000 majority in 2019.
Ellie Chowns, the Green candidate, took more than 21,000 votes, with Wiggin on just above 15,800 – a 32-point swing away from the Tories.
Denyer’s fellow leader, Adrian Ramsay, competing against the Tories in the new seat of Waveney Valley on the Norfolk-Suffolk border, won that constituency as well, on nearly 42% of the vote.
The Greens held Brighton Pavilion, where Caroline Lucas had been MP since 2010. She has stepped down, with the seat being won by Siân Berry.
The results are a vindication for a highly focused campaign by the co-leaders, who set out their four target seats last autumn and have devoted most campaign resources towards them. Amid a wider effort to professionalise the party in England and Wales, Denyer and Ramsay, who have co-led since autumn 2021, have also gained more than 400 council seats across England.
Denyer won 24,539 votes in the newly redrawn Bristol constituency, easily beating Debbonaire to second place with 14,132.
In her acceptance speech, Denyer, 38, said: “Bristol you made history today. Together we did it. We elected our city’s first Green MP.”
She thanked Green voters as well as those who voted for other parties, volunteers, council staff, and Debbonaire. “This incredible city has long had my heart and the warmth and positivity I have felt during this campaign has been truly humbling. I feel so privileged to have this opportunity to serve you and to ensure that the real hope that inspired so many people to vote Green is represented in parliament. I can’t wait to get started.”
Debbonaire, in her concession speech, congratulated Denyer and said: “Across the country, and these islands, people have voted for a Labour government and I couldn’t be prouder of my part in seeing that happen.”
She added: “Democracy is so special, people across the world try and get it, people across the world die for it, and we must always treasure and respect it.”
